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This  book  is  DUE  on  last  date  stamped  below  RL-uJ 

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FEB  2  1 1924 

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APR  2  7  7950  ^ 

noil,   OP  CALIFORNIA, 

LIBRARY, 
IU>S  ANGELES,  CALIF. 


2196ft 


V  L 


(2^1^  /0    -      >-5 


THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

AND   THE 

GRANGE  LECTURER 


BY 
JENNIE   BUELL 

SECRETARY   AND  PAST  LECTURER 
MICHIGAN   STATE  GRANGE 


476  0 


■ 


NEW   YORK 

HARCOURT,    BRACE   AND   COMPANY 

1921 

4TC0\ 


COPYRIGHT,     1921,    BY 
HARCOURT,    BRACE    AND    COMPANY,    INC. 


•  •     •  •  ■ 
•      *  « 


c     • 

*  •  • 


TO   THE    MEMORY    OF    MY    PARENTS, 

BARBER  GRINNELL  BUELL 

AMD 

HARRIETT  COPLEY   BUELL, 

WHOSE    RCRAL    COMMUNITY    SERVICE    HAS  BEEN    A    LIFE-LONG 
INCENTIVE    AND    INSPIRATION 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE 

Contkaky  to  occasional  statements  that  appear  in  dis- 
cussions of  farmers'  organizations,  the  Grange  is  not 
dead.  Indeed,  it  has  a  larger  membership  than  ever 
before  in  its  history,  barring  the  few  years  of  phenom- 
enal growth  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  The  period  of 
decline  in  Grange  fortunes  which  followed  this  rapid 
expansion  came  to  an  end  with  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  and  for  the  past  two  decades  there  has  been  a 
steady  increase  in  both  local  Granges  and  in  member- 
ship^ 

I  know  of  no  organization  that  gives  a  better  leader- 
ship training  for  farmers  and  farmers'  wives  than  does 
the  Grange,  f'fhose  officers  in  the  "  Subordinate  "  or 
local  Grange  known  respectively  as  Master  and  Lec- 
turer occupy  peculiar  positions  of  real  community 
leadership  and  responsibility^  -&o-wlrrreH;his  book  has 
a  definite  purpose  to  be  of  help  to  present  and  future 
incumbents  of  these  particular  offices,  and  to  be  of 
enlightenment  and  suggestion  to  the  Grange  member- 
ship as  a  whole,  it  is  a  book  that-mfty-weHr  be  rearHry- 
farmers  everywhere;  partly  for  what  it  tells  about  this 
influential  organization,  and  partly  because  of  its  sug- 
gestions concerning  rural  community  advancement  and 

leadership 

The  Grange  Master  mid  the  Grange  Lecturer  is 
written  for  the  purpose  of  pointing  out  the  scope  of  the 


vi  PEEFACE 

work  which  the  organization  known  as  the  Grange  under- 
takes and  to  show  how,  by  its  very  nature,  it  tends  to 
cultivate  and  encourage  the  higher  mental  and  social 
attributes  of  men  and  women  who  live  on  farms. 

It  contains  a  brief  sketch  of  the  causes  that  prompted 
the  forming  of  such  an  organization  among  and  by 
farmers ;  and  it  recounts  some  of  the  Grange's  early  his- 
tory as  a  basis  for  the  later  parts  of  the  book  which 
deal  more  specially  with  methods  of  developing  the 
human  material  which  a  country  neighborhood  offers  to 
a  Grange.  It-  is-a-tdose-at-hand  account  of  how  the 
Grange  affords  an  ideal  plan  for  thus  sowing  the  seed, 
nurturing  the  growing  crop  and,  finally,  harvesting  the 
yield  of  those  human  traits  and  talents  which  develop 
best  under  favorable  encouragement.  !But  it  goes  fur- 
ther than  to  depict  the  plan  to  those  who  have  hitherto 
known  little  or  nothing  of  the  Grange;  it  attempts  to 
put  practical  instructions  and  helps  drawn  from  experi- 
ence into  such  form  as  to  be  a  guide  to  those  who  may  be 
elected  officers  of  a  Grange. 

The  province  of  a  Grange  Master  is  set  forth  as  a 
field  of  administrative  opportunity  of  a  high  type, — 
one  in  which  the  right  man,  growing  in  his  job,  exerts 
an  influence  that  may  be  far-reaching  and  of  tremendous 
import.  Grange  Lecturers  will  find  in  this  book  a  sym- 
pathetic statement  of  what  confronts  them  when  elected 
to  this  office;  but,  also,  beside  its  obligations  and  diffi- 
culties, are  placed  the  wide  opportunities  and  rich  per- 
sonal returns  that  wait  upon  zealous  efforts.  Program 
building  is  assumed  to  be  something  akin  to  a  genuine 
profession.     The  author  has  made  an  effort  to  antici- 


PREFACE  vii 

pate  and  answer  all  those  questions  that  arise  in  the 
mind  of  a  new  Lecturer  of  a  Subordinate  Grange  when 
he  begins  to  make  and  conduct  programs. 

The  author  of  this  book  is  better  equipped  than  any 
^other  person  in  the  entire  country  to  write  it.  She 
was  born  and  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  lives  on  a 
farm.  Many  years  ago  she  became  assistant  to  the 
editor  of  the  Michigan  State  Grange  paper  and  ever 
since  has  been  a  ready  and  delightful  writer.  Some 
years  ago  she  published  a  little  book  called  One  Woman's 
Work  for  Farm  Women  which  was  an  appreciative 
biography  of  and  personal  tribute  to  a  remarkable  rural 
leader — Mrs.  Mary  A.  Mayo.  Miss  Buell,  in  1890, 
was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Michigan  State  Grange  and 
served  sixteen  years.  In  1908  she  was  elected  Lecturer 
of  Michigan  State  Grange  and  served  six  years  until 
again  elected  Secretary.  She  has  just  been  elected  Sec- 
retary for  the  coming  two  years.  For  the  past  nine 
years  she  has  been  preparing  two  programs  each  month, 
with  helps  for  Lecturers  in  conducting  them,  for  The 
National  Grange  Monthly. 

Thus  for  over  thirty-five  years  Miss  Buell  has  been 
in  closest  personal  touch  with  the  actual  working  of 
the  Grange  in  a  representative  agricultural  state,  and 
all  the  time  living  close  to  the  real  problems  of  the 
real  farmers.  But  she  has  also  been  a  student  of  the 
problems  which  the  Grange  was  set  to  solve  and  has 
never  became  absorbed  in  the  mere  machinery  of  organ- 
ization. (Her  philosophy  of  organized  agriculture  can 
be  found  in  a  recent  address  of  hers — "  We  are  looking 
on  organizations  today  not  for  what  they  will  do  for 


viii  PREFACE 

their  members  but  for  what  they  will  do  for  community 
good.  We  measure  them  by  what  they  are  doing  to 
build  up  community  spirit  and  institutions!!"") 

Kenyon  L.  Buttebfield 


FOREWORD 

The  Grange  Master  and  the  Grange  Lecturer  has  been 
written  upon  the  request  that  I  endeavor  to  show  that 
the  Grange  is  an  organization  admirably  fitted  for  rural 
leadership;  and  that  it  offers  unexcelled  opportunities 
for  the  practical  training  of  individuals  who  desire  to 
participate  in  the  activities  of  their  own  country  neigh- 
borhoods. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  book  may  have  two  classes 
of  readers, — those  who  know  little  or  nothing  of  the 
Grange,  and  those  who  are  actively  engaged  in  its  ranks. 
Therefore,  in  its  preparation,  the  two-fold  need  has 
been  kept  in  mind ;  first,  of  strangers  to  the  Grange,  to 
whom  I  wish  to  bring  an  intimate  glimpse  of  its  aims 
and  scope ;  second,  of  Grange  workers,  in  whom  I  seek  to 
quicken  appreciation  of  the  ideals  and  attainments  of 
their  great  organization.  To  the  latter,  in  addition,  are 
offered  the  suggestions  concerning  ideas  and  methods 
which  thirty-six  years  of  close  association  with  the 
official  conduct  of  the  Grange  have  led  me  to  deem  of 
indispensable  value.  I  have  tried  to  pass  on  to  other 
rural  workers  the  really  vital  helps  that  have  been  so 
generously  vouchsafed  to  me.  Indeed,  if  the  book  pos- 
sesses any  usefulness,  it  is  due  to  the  thousands  of  con- 
secrated farm  leaders  through  whose  serried  ranks  it 
has  been  my  privilege  to  walk,  filling  my  hands  with 
flowers  plucked  from  their  rich  experience  and  with  the 

ix 


x  FOREWOKD 

fruits  of  their  carefully  wrought  plans.  These  I  here 
bring  to  the  people  who,  in  this  transition  time  when 
we  turn  anxious  and  questioning  eyes  upon  the  future 
of  farming,  still  stand  at  their  rural  posts,  striving  to 
realize  their  ideals  amid  changing  country  conditions. 
That  the  re-statement  of  these  facts  and  suggestions  may 
lead  to  some  enlargement  of  the  rural  view,  some  deeper 
sense  of  the  importance  of  its  leadership,  and  some 
glimpse  of  the  means  by  which  country  life  may  reach 
its  maximum, — these  are  the  hopes  that  have  gone  into 
the  making  of  this  little  book. 

Much  of  the  material  used  here  has  appeared  in 
similar  form  in  the  Michigan  State  Grange  Lecturer's 
Bulletin  (1909-1913),  the  Michigan  Farmer,  the  Rural 
New  Yorker,  and  the  Northwestern  Farmer.  For  its 
concrete  illustrations  my  thanks  are  due  to  Grange  co- 
workers in  many  states,  chief  among  whom  I  count  my 
Michigan  associates.  For  suggestion  as  to  arrange- 
ment and  for  supervision  of  the  manuscript  I  am  in- 
debted to  my  sister,  Bertha  G.  Buell,  without  whose 
encouragement  and  counsel  the  work  could  not  have  been 
undertaken. 

Jennie  Buell. 
Ann  Abbob,  Michigan, 
December  4,  1920 


CONTENTS 

PART  I.     ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Beginnings. 

A  self-help  association 4 

Scope  and  object  of  a  Subordinate   Grange   .        .  5 

Early   and   later   aims 7 

II.    Departments  of  Grange  Work. 

Financial              10 

Legislative           13 

Educational 18 

Social            20 

The  Grange  feast 20 

Other  means  of  social  growth 22 

Ritual    a    social    help 22 

Social  leadership  in  the  country       ....  23 

The   Grange's  crown 25 

III.     Extent  of  the  Field. 

County,  state,  and  national  horizons  ....  27 

Summer  rallies 29 

The  Grange  and  women 32 

"  City  farmers  "  as  Grange  members   ....  42 

PART  II.     THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

I.     The  Master's  Opportunities. 

The  call  for   a  vision 49 

Grange  leverage  in  community  life     ....  51 

II.     The  Master  as  Community  Leader. 

Translating  bis  vision  into  actuality   ....  59 

HI.     The  Master  and  His  Co-workers 

Organizing  all  forces  for  efficiency     ....  62 

Conferences    of    officers 63 

Enlisting  young   people 64 

Placing   responsibility 66 

xi 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

IV.     The  Master  and  the  Juveniles. 

A  child  shall  lead 72 

A   constructive   force 73 

V.     Details  that  Spell  a  Mastee's  Success  or  Failube. 

Good  Grange  habits 75 

Bad  Grange  habits 77 

Avoidance  of  ruts 81 

Effective    advertising 82 

The  personal  element 84 

Cultivation   of   all   territory 85 

A  live  wire 86 

PART  III.     THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

I.     The  Grange  Lecture  Hour. 

A  rural  forum 93 

Program  principles 94 

II.     The  Lecturer. 

Sources    of   help 98 

A  distinct  problem 100 

Power  of  the  Lecturer 100 

A  Lecturer's  self-examination 101 

III.     Methods  in  Lecture  Work. 

Records 104 

Note    books 104 

Printed  helps 105 

Acquaintance  with  human  material     ....  106 

Program    building 108 

Features  of  a  balanced  program    ....  109 

Music Ill 

Recitations    and   readings 112 

Dramatization 113 

Choice    of   participants 114 

Publicity            116 

What  is  Grange  news? 117 

A    Model   Grange   Report 118 

Printed  programs 120 

Conducting  the  program 122 


CONTENTS  xiii 

I  CHAPTER  PAGE 

Encouragement   of   discussion 122 

Brother  Burritt's  gold  mine 123 

Use  of  objects,  exhibits,  etc 127 

Art  of  questioning 128 

Sidelights  on  lecture  hour  methods    ....  130 

Advice  of  a  National  Master 131 

A   call  to  service 132 

Thankful  Lecturers 134 

The  play  spirit  and  rural  recreation       .        .        .  135 

Wheels  within  wheels 137 

The  "group  plan"  of  study 139 

Tie  the  ends 142 

IV.     Training  of  Lecturers. 

Uniform  program  topics 149 

Classes  in   rural  leadership 152 

Lecturers'  conferences 153 

V.     Final  Aims  in  Lecture  Work. 

Public  speaking  not  all  of  Grange  education   .        .  169 
To  reach  the  "  last  man  "  on  every  farm  .        .       .170 

Training  for  character 171 

VI.     The  Lecturer's  Reward 174 

Index            177 


PAET  I 
ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 


A  PRAYER  FOR  A  COUNTRY  COMMUNITY 

"  Our  Father,  we  invoke  Thy  blessing  on  every  member  of  this 
community.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  opportunities  for  healthful 
work  and  simple  living  which  life  in  the  country  affords  us. 
Help  us  to  take  full  advantage  of  them.  Grant  that  we  may 
appreciate  the  privilege  we  enjoy  in  living  and  working  in  the 
midst  of  the  natural  beauties  with  which  Thou  hast  filled  the 
earth.  May  our  sense  of  this  beauty  not  be  dulled  by  use,  nor 
our  work  become  a  monotonous,  soul-deadening  round,  but  may 
our  beautiful  surroundings  be  to  us  new  every  morning  and  fresh 
every  evening.  Give  to  the  farmers  of  this  country  a  realizing 
sense  of  the  blessings  they  enjoy  in  being  masters  of  themselves 
in  their  daily  labor.  Give  them,  too,  breadth  of  mind  to  realize 
the  basic  importance  of  the  service  they  perform  for  Thy  great 
family  of  humanity  and  to  seek  ever  new  and  better  methods  of 
work,  that  they  may  make  their  service  of  the  greatest  benefit. 

"  Save  the  women  of  the  country  from  the  physical  strain  of 
overwork,  and  from  the  nervous  strain  of  loneliness  and  isola- 
tion. Put  into  the  hearts  of  the  men  of  their  families  a  willing- 
ness to  lighten  their  daily  burden  of  toil  by  the  supply  of  labor- 
saving  conveniences  and  by  thoughtful  consideration. 

"  We  thank  Thee  for  the  opportunities  for  healthful  growth  that 
country  life  brings  to  children.  Give  parents  wisdom  to  see  to 
it  that  their  children  enjoy  these  benefits  to  the  full.  While 
they  gain  the  training  that  comes  from  the  opportunity  to  do 
their  part  in  the  work  of  the  family,  let  them  not  use  up  strength 
needed  for  their  growth  in  work  too  heavy  for  them.  Give  the 
community  intelligence  to  improve  their  educational  facilities  and 
to  provide  the  means  of  wholesome  recreation.  Preserve  us  all 
from  the  narrowness  and  selfishness  of  spirit  that  isolation 
breeds,  and  help  us  each  to  do  our  part  in  strengthening  the 
social  spirit  and  life  of  this  community  through  church  and  school 
and  all  other  means  at  our  disposal." — American  Magazine. 


CHAPTER  I 

BEGINNINGS 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  Presi- 
dent Johnson  sent  Oliver  H.  Kelley,  a  Middle  West 
farmer,  into  the  South  to  ascertain  exact  conditions  of 
agriculture,  with  a  view  to  giving  government  assist- 
ance in  rebuilding  that  war-torn  section.  The  enduring 
result  of  this  tour  was  that  Mr.  Kelley  founded,  in 
December,  1867,  a  fraternal  and  educational  association 
of  men  and  women  directly  connected  with  the  farm. 
The  idea  of  such  an  organization  came  to  him  when  he 
saw  how  their  isolation  handicapped  the  southern  plant- 
ers in  the  solution  of  the  problems  thrust  upon  them 
by  the  great  conflict  through  which  they  had  just  passed. 
He  realized  also  that  his  own  neighbor  farmers  in  the 
North  had  little  acquaintance  with  those  of  the  same 
calling  in  other  states  of  the  union,  although  their 
needs,  educational  and  social  as  well  as  economic,  were 
similar.  He  became  convinced  that  the  paramount 
necessity  everywhere  was  that  people  on  farms  should 
come  to  know  one  another  better.  They  must  become 
acquainted  and  establish  mutual  confidence  before  they 
could  advance  very  fast  or  very  far. 

Mr.  Kelley  wrote  of  his  conviction  to  his  niece,  Miss 
Carrie  A.  Hall  of  Boston,  and  together  they  laid  the 
first  plans  for  a  farmers'  fraternity.    It  was  Miss  Hall 

3 


4        ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

who  first  proposed  that  women  be  admitted  to  the  new 
association  on  an  equality  with  men.  To  her,  on  this 
account,  a  vast  number  of  country  women  owe  the  im- 
measurable benefits  that  have  since  accrued  to  them 
through  her  suggestion. 

Mr.  Kelley  and  Miss  Hall  early  began  to  associate 
with  themselves  others  who  proved  to  be  in  sympathy 
with  the  idea  and  who,  like  them,  were  willing  to  give 
time  and  thought  to  the  development  of  the  new  plan. 
The  outcome  was  The  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  or 
The  Grange  as  it  is  better  known,  a  farmers'  organiza- 
tion which  for  fifty-three  years  has  successfully  ridden 
the  recurring  waves  of  difficulties  and  prosperity. 

Occasionally  the  Grange  movement  is  spoken  of  as 
one  which  long  ago  passed  its  active  stage;  but,  quite 
the  contrary,  it  has  an  established  place  and  a  recogni- 
tion in  the  affairs  of  most  states,  and  in  the  nation  it  is 
a  permanent  and  constructive  force.  Today  the  National 
Grange  is  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  farmers'  organi- 
zations. 

A   SELF-HELP    ASSOCIATION 

As  a  whole  the  Grange  is  a  grouping  by,  of,  and  for 
farmers  themselves.  The  local  units,  known  as  Sub- 
ordinate Granges,  are  situated  in  rural  neighborhoods; 
they  survive  mainly  by  their  own  initiative  or  fall  on 
account  of  their  own  inertia.  Their  representatives 
form  a  State  Grange  in  each  of  thirty-three  states,  and 
their  state  representatives,  in  turn,  comprise  the  Na- 
tional Grange.  There  are,  also,  in  many  localities, 
county-wide  organizations  which  are  known  as  Pomona 


BEGINNINGS  5> 

Granges.  In  this  book  the  Subordinate  Grange  is 
chiefly  dealt  with,  as  upon  it  rests  the  superstructure  of 
the  organization.  No  association  can  get  closer  to  farm 
folks  and  to  genuine  country-life  problems  than  do  these 
small  and  scattered  groups.  Their  total  membership  is 
approximately  a  million  persons. 

Isolated,  scattered,  and  small  the  local  Granges  may 
be,  but  power  is  inherent  in  them  because  each  is 
organized  like  all  the  others,  and  bonds  of  regular  dues 
and  reports  and  common  interests  tie  them  together  into 
larger  bodies.  That  this  is  a  real  power  is  shown  by  a 
statement  once  made  to  a  Grange  worker  by  a  Con- 
gressman from  a  Middle  West  district.  Said  this  politi- 
cal representative :  "  Do  not  think  that  a  Congressman 
ever  forgets  any  least  Grange  in  his  district.  Even  if 
it  is  not  very  active,  he  remembers  where  it  is  located 
and  knows  that  it  is  organized  to  act  whenever  occasion 
seems  to  warrant  action."  The  Subordinate  Grange, 
therefore,  may  well  be  considered  as  a  means  ready  to  be 
used  in  behalf  of  a  country  community  in  whatever 
direction  its  members  may  elect. 

SCOPE  AND  OBJECTS  OF  A  SUBORDINATE  GRANGE 

The  deputy  who  sets  up  a  Grange  and  leaves  it  with 
no  program  of  action  has  brought  a  still-born  infant  into 
the  world.  Very  much  like  a  baby,  indeed,  the  young 
Grange  must  depend  upon  activity  to  gain  size,  vigor,, 
and  influence.  The  youngster  kicks  and  throws  his 
arms  and  legs  about  because  his  Creator  designed  that 
so  babies  should  grow.  The  inactive  Grange  degener- 
ates and  dies;  the  active  organization  develops  bulging 


6        ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

muscles  and  ruddy  color, — its  abounding  health  ex- 
pressing itself  in  action,  and  yet  more  action. 

But  how  make  a  Grange  able  to  take  its  full  place 
in  a  neighborhood  ?  When  you  ask  that  question  many 
voices  answer  and  the  many-sidedness  of  the  association 
appears. 

One  says :  "  Teach  us.  Have  farm  discussions ;  we 
need  to  learn  the  danger  of  soil  exhaustion  and  how  to 
avoid  it.  I  want  the  Grange  to  give  me  some  of  the 
education  the  schools  failed  to  offer  me  in  regard  to  my 
farm  and  crops.    I  want  my  boys  to  get  what  I  missed." 

Another  says :  "  Help  the  farmer  financially.  If  the 
Grange  doesn't  do  this,  it  will  be  junked  for  some  or- 
ganization that  will." 

Another  voice :  "  Have  good  times ;  social  evenings ; 
lots  to  eat  and  loads  of  fun,  but  no  dry,  tedious  dis- 
cussions." 

Another — a  woman — says :  "  Let  us  talk  over  what 
we  read,  exchange  choice  ideas  of  our  own,  recite  beau- 
tiful poems,  and  help  one  another  to  bear  the  burdens  of 
life  more  bravely. 

"  Bring  household  helps,  tell  us  how  and  what  to  cook 
with  conservation  recipes,  and,  most  of  all,  teach  us 
how  to  train  our  children. 

"  Pass  resolutions  demanding  better  legislation,  de- 
nounce hydra-headed  monopolies,  and  defeat  unscrupu- 
lous schemes  of  a  giant  money  octopus." 

And  finally  a  quiet  voice  speaks :  "  Save  the  children ; 
teach  them,  make  them  feel  that  the  Grange  is  a  place 
where  they  belong  and  have  happy  times.  If  this  had 
been  started  as  a  leading  Grange  work  fifty  years  ago, 


BEGINNINGS  7 

we  would  now  have  an  irresistible  army  of  members." 
Thus  its  friends  set  forth  that  for  which  they  would 
have  the  Grange  stand.  Not  one  of  them  is  entirely 
right,  neither  is  any  wholly  wrong.  For  the  Grange  must 
meet  the  needs  of  everyone  in  the  rural  community — 
old  and  young,  without  distinction  of  race,  color,  or  sex. 
The  Apostle  Paul  said  something  about  becoming  "  all 
things  to  all  men,"  but  the  Grange  must  go  further  than 
Paul  and  be  all  things  not  only  to  all  its  men,  but  to  all 
its  women  and  children  as  well.  Its  plan  of  campaign 
must  be  very  inclusive;  its  scheme  of  work  must  be 
exceedingly  intensive.  Otherwise  somebody  will  lose 
enthusiasm  and  fall  out. 

EARLY   AND  LATER  AIMS 

Casual  thought  fails  to  grasp  a  significant  fact  in  the 
early  history  of  the  Grange ;  the  founders  of  the  Order 
at  first  planned  a  farmers'  fraternal  organization  for 
social  and  educational  purposes  only.  It  was  not  until 
they  attempted  to  put  their  scheme  into  actual  practice 
in  farm  districts  that  they  added  financial  and  legisla- 
tive features.  When  they  tried  to  organize  Granges 
in  the  Middle  West,  the  common  folks  demanded  an 
organization  to  relieve  them  from  extortionate  treat- 
ment by  the  grain  elevators,  railroads,  middle  men,  and 
politicians  who  represented  every  interest  except  that 
of  the  farm.  The  Grange  fathers  were  compelled  to 
heed  this  demand.  Great  results  followed,  both  through 
legislative  activity  and  through  co-operative  enterprises 
on  the  part  of  these  first-organized  farmers.  But  fail- 
ures came,  the  Grange  relaxed  its  close  study  and  ardent 


8   ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

championship  of  economic  reforms.  In  consequence, 
the  evils  of  distribution  and  the  distorted  use  of  natural 
resources  still  persist.  More  than  that,  in  present  times 
the  swollen  profits  of  food  packers,  crop  distributors, 
and  their  big  business  allies  challenge  the  outraged  sense 
of  organized  farmers  everywhere.  There  never  was  a 
time  when  commercial  interests  have  so  violently  hurled 
down  the  economic  gauntlet  and  so  openly  dared  farm 
organizations  to  meet  the  issue  as  now. 

By  this  token  rural  America  has  imperative  need  to 
study,  to  discuss,  and  to  act  along  these  lines  in  behalf  of 
all  farmers.  Any  constructive  measures  that  will  put  a 
Orange  into  its  place  of  possible  power  must  include 
legislation  and  co-operation.  These  must  be  made  the 
foundation  for  its  social  and  educational  work. 


CHAPTER  II 

DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK 

The  general  efforts  of  the  Grange  fall  into  four  broad 
groups  as  already  indicated, — namely,  the  financial, 
legislative,  educational,  and  social ;  these  together  focus 
their  energies  upon  the  development  of  a  better  and 
higher  manhood  and  womanhood  in  more  comfortable 
and  attractive  farm  homes  of  the  land.  The  co- 
operative, or  what  we  are  prone  to  think  of  as  the  purely 
financial  feature,  serves  as  a  foundation  for  the  others — 
legislative,  educational,  and  social.  View  these  as  an 
inverted  collapsible  cup,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
social,  when  pushed  down  to  a  level  with  the  other 
features,  is  in  the  center  of  all.  This  is  where  social 
life  belongs,  at  the  center  of  the  Grange  meeting,  per- 
meating every  activity  of  the  other  departments.  No 
officer  can  do  his  most  effective  work  until  he  gets  this 
four-fold  vision  of  the  Grange  plan — his  working  pat- 
tern. Undertake  to  build  upon  any  one  feature  alone, 
and  it  fails  as  a  Grange  proposition.  For  this  reason, 
Grange  principles  and  organization  offer  the  machinery 
for  matchless  constructive  possibilities  in  community 
building.  Once  the  fundamentals  of  Grange  principles 
and  history  are  fixed  in  mind,  the  next  steps  consist  of 
detail  work,  keeping  the  pattern  ever  in  view. 

9 


10      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

FINANCIAL 

The  federal  government  has  found  that  it  pays  well  to 
spend  annually  thousands  of  dollars  to  hold  schools  of 
agriculture  and  farmers'  institutes,  conducted  by 
trained  men  in  scattered  neighborhoods  over  broad 
areas.  Good  as  this  is,  that  amount  can  suffice  to  pro- 
vide such  teaching  in  a  single  community  for  only  one, 
two,  or  three  days  out  of  twelve  months.  To  the  man 
ignorant  of  farming  this  is  a  "  short  course  in  agri- 
culture "  in  very  truth.  At  this  point  in  his  experience 
he  is  fortunate  if  the  Grange  steps  to  his  side  and  says : 
"  Come  with  us.  We  are  all  learners,  too,  in  things 
and  ways  of  the  farm.  Meet  with  us  and  we  will  talk 
together  of  how  to  choose  the  best  seed ;  how  to  cultivate 
our  soil,  whether  much  or  little,  deep  or  shallow,  and 
how  to  feed  it  so  that  it  will  produce  the  best  possible 
crops ;  we  will  consider  how  much  milk  and  butter  a  cow 
should  produce  to  pay  for  her  keep,  and  how  to  select 
and  care  for  her  to  make  her  do  it;  we  will  compare 
notes  on  our  successes  and  failures  along  all  these  lines 
in  this  very  neighborhood,  and  thus  advance  faster  to- 
gether than  separately." 

The  business  side  of  the  Grange  has  too  long  been 
looked  upon  solely  as  that  represented  by  the  savings 
made  on  buying  twine,  fencing,  coal,  and  groceries,  and 
by  securing  cheaper  insurance.  It  is  true  that  these 
savings  are  part  of  business  co-operation,  and  that  this 
feature  plays  an  important  part  in  the  organization  of 
farmers  for  mutual  protection;  but  it  is  also  true  that 
the  Grange  does  a  better  turn  for  any  man  when  it 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    11 

teaches  him  how  to  master  his  farm  operations  so  as  to 
know  how  much  loss  or  gain  he  sustains  on  each  crop 
or  herd  or  flock.  Until  he  knows  these  things  and  com- 
bines with  other  farmers  to  distribute  his  products  at  a 
reasonable  profit  above  their  cost,  he  is  at  the  mercy  of 
every  manipulator  of  trade  who  pleases  to  plot  against 
him.  To  lead  farmers  to  appreciate  and  act  upon  such 
knowledge  as  this  is  a  very  practical  sort  of  financial  co- 
operation. Through  its  educational  features  the  Grange 
strives  to  make  its  members  as  familiar  with  its  business 
of  farm  and  home  management  as  the  banker  and  miller 
are  with  theirs. 

"  There  are  very  few  of  us  farmers  who  know  what 
our  products  cost.  How  can  we  know  what  to  ask  for 
them  ?  "  was  the  exclamation  of  a  young  man  at  a  farm- 
ers' institute.  In  discussing  the  matter  later,  an  older 
man  said,  "  I  keep  accurate  account  of  a  field  when  I 
rent  land  from  another  man,  but  I  don't  do  so  with  my 
own  land.  I  treat  my  neighbor  better  than  I  do  my- 
self ! ':  Still  another,  who  is  a  prosperous,  successful 
tiller  of  the  soil,  made  this  comment  in  reply:  "  I  keep 
an  account  of  every  crop  I  grow  as  particularly  as  if  I 
were  dealing  with  you  or  any  other  man.  I  charge  it 
up  with  every  expense  of  rent,  of  preparing  the  ground, 
fertilizing,  sowing,  cultivating,  harvesting,  and  market- 
ing; then  I  credit  it  with  all  the  crop  is  worth  to  me 
in  every  way.  By  doing  this  I  know  just  how  I  stand 
in  regard  to  everything  I  grow."  These  are  the  special 
lines  of  improvement  that  are  being  discussed  in  many 
Granges.  Eecent  experiences  with  price-fixing  boards 
and  governmental  regulations  pertaining  to  prices  of 


12      OEIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

farm  products  have  forced  the  issue,  and  shortly  farm- 
ers will  know  their  costs  of  production  as  they  now  know 
their  fertility  formulas,  their  balanced  ration  tables, 
and  other  special  phases  of  their  work.  Much  of  the 
investigation  necessary  to  this  end  is  being  conducted 
under  supervision  of  the  Grange. 

What  happens  when  a  member  of  a  Subordinate 
Grange  keeps  strict  account  of  overhead  expenses  in 
fitting  a  field  for  a  crop,  or  in  raising  a  bushel  of  grain, 
or  a  hog,  or  a  colt?  Naturally  he  is  apt  to  tell  of  his 
experiences  at  some  meeting  of  the  Grange.  I  remem- 
ber what  an  absorbing  interest  prevailed  in  a  certain 
Grange  meeting  when  one  of  the  best  dairymen  of  that 
neighborhood  gave  a  practical  talk  on  how  he  made  his 
herd  pay  a  good  profit.  The  interest  was  not  because 
of  fine  words,  nor  because  he  was  talking  on  a  fancy  sub- 
ject ;  but  the  members,  one  and  all,  listened  because  he 
gave  the  figures  at  every  point  as  to  what  each  cow  cost, 
what  was  fed  her,  and  what  it  cost  to  raise  or  buy  her 
feed ;  how  many  pounds  of  milk  she  gave  and  for  how 
many  months  in  the  year ;  and  what  her  milk  and  butter 
sold  for,  also  how  much  he  considered  she  had  con- 
tributed to  his  farm  in  fertilizer.  This  was  a  plain 
topic,  handled  by  a  plain  man — just  the  common,  every- 
day sort — but  the  uncommon  thing  was  that  he  knew 
iliat  he  knew  whether  his  cows  paid  him  more  than  they 
cost  him.  Whatever  he  said  upon  his  subject  became 
valuable  to  every  other  keeper  of  a  cow  because  of  that 
fact.  Men  who  know  accurately  about  their  business 
are  not  standing  upon  every  four  corners  handing  out 
these  facts,  neither  are  they  sitting  on  boxes  in  grocery 


DEPARTMENTS  OP  GRANGE  WORK    13 

stores  waiting  for  listeners.  They  are  not  seeking 
notoriety  but,  under  such  circumstances  as  the  Grange 
offers,  they  are  glad  to  exchange  experiences  and  facts 
with  those  who  are  engaged  along  the  same  lines. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  cow-man's  wife  talked  about 
her  flock  of  hens.  She,  too,  had  her  figures  with  her. 
She  knew  how  many  hens  she  started  the  year  with, 
how  many  eggs  they  had  laid,  how  many  chickens  were 
hatched,  and  how  many  were  raised ;  how  much  their 
feed  had  cost  and  what  their  products  had  sold  for. 
Moreover,  she  could  give  definite  results  that  had  come 
from  culling  out  the  non-layers.  She  told  of  her  suc- 
cess and  failure  with  incubators  and  brooders  and  gave 
experiences  with  sitting  hens.  She  compared  the  value 
of  different  feeds  for  hens  and  told  why  one  was  better 
than  another.  She  related  the  results  obtained  from  the 
use  of  electric  lights  in  her  hen  house.  Even  if  you 
had  been  afraid  of  feathers  you  would  have  listened  to 
that  tale  of  hens,  for  the  woman  knew  that  she  knew 
what  she  was  talking  about.  And  she  did  not  hesitate 
to  tell  what  she  and  her  hens  had  done,  because  she  was 
in  the  Grange  among  members  of  her  neighborhood 
family. 

LEGISLATIVE 

"  Where  does  your  Grange  stand  on  this  or  that  pub- 
lic question  ?  "  is  an  inquiry  that  members  of  active 
Granges  are  accustomed  to  hear.  It  is  an  entirely  natu- 
ral one,  since  about  the  first  thing  a  Grange  does  after 
it  has  been  organized  is  to  seek  to  influence  legislation 
or  public  opinion  in  one  way  or  another.     The  organiz- 


14     OKIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

ing  of  Granges  has  been  based  largely  on  the  fact  that 
farmers  formerly  had  little  voice  in  deciding  proposi- 
tions which,  when  laws,  they  were  later  expected  to 
obey.  This  fact  must  continue  to  be  fundamental  in  the 
spread  of  the  Grange.  The  impulse  of  the  Grange  to 
make  itself  felt  in  public  affairs  is  one  of  the  finest 
traits  of  the  organization.  It  does  not  matter  whether 
the  attempt  is  to  influence  affairs  of  the  nation,  state, 
county,  township,  or  school  district — it  is  a  praiseworthy 
and  splendid  thing  to  do.  The  judgment  of  a  half 
dozen  men  and  women,  summed  up  after  free  discussion, 
is  apt  to  be  less  biased  than  that  of  one  man  alone.  Fur- 
ther discussion  in  larger  circles  in  time  brings  still 
larger  views,  and  the  consequent  action  is  correspond- 
ingly more  valuable. 

Nor  can  a  Grange  hide  its  light  under  a  bushel  in 
arriving  at  its  opinions.  It  follows  that,  as  a  Grange 
meets  together  month  after  month  and  affairs  of  general 
concern  come  before  it,  the  neighborhood,  the  county, 
or  the  state  is  led  to  look  upon  the  Grange  as  its  com- 
munity thinker  and  neighborhood  intelligence.  So  it  is, 
or  should  be;  the  Grange  is  an  influential  factor  in  com- 
munity affairs  wherever  it  is  really  grasping  its  oppor- 
tunities. In  some  sections  it  is  a  much  stronger  force 
than  in  others,  for  it  can  be  abused  like  any  other  power. 

On  every  hand  is  evidence  of  the  part  the  Grange  is 
taking  in  public  movements.  It  is  interesting  and 
profitable  to  trace  backward  to  their  sources  some  meas- 
ures that  are  now  accepted  as  both  logical  and  sane 
and  as  a  matter  of  course  in  rural  affairs.  Surprisingly 
often  it  will  be  found  that  these  present  benefits  had 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    15 

their  inception  in  some  early  National  Grange  session. 
Following  their  introduction  in  that  body  they  were  dis- 
cussed in  thousands  of  local  and  county  Granges  until 
rural  opinion  was  sufficiently  developed  to  demand  their 
enactment  into  law.  This  process,  going  on  for  more 
than  a  half  century,  has  materially  changed  not  only 
public  sentiment  in  regard  to  rural  needs  but  specific 
legislation  as  well.  These  results  vindicate  the  emphasis 
placed  on  the  Grange  platform  where  men  and  women 
have  debated  almost  every  conceivable  question  relating 
to  farm  people  and  thereby  paved  the  way  to  scores  of 
improvements  in  country  living.  The  reforms  urged 
by  the  Grange  have  included  among  them  creation  of  a 
Cabinet  position  for  Agriculture,  amendment  of  the 
patent  laws  so  as  to  protect  innocent  purchasers,  the 
Hatch  agricultural  experiment  act  providing  for  ex- 
tension and  demonstration  work  by  the  Agricultural 
Colleges,  furnishing  the  weather-signal  service  to  farm- 
ers, election  of  United  States  senators  by  popular  vote, 
ballot  reforms,  corrupt  practice  laws,  the  famous 
"  Granger  railway  laws,"  rural  mail  delivery,  postal 
savings  banks,  parcel  post,  temperance,  woman's  suf- 
frage, and  teaching  agriculture  in  schools.  This  last 
mentioned  subject  is  one  of  the  most  notable  of  which 
the  early  Grange  was  an  active  advocate.  Prof.  T.  C. 
Atkeson,  in  his  Semi-Centennial  History  of  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  says  of  it: 

There  has  been  some  controversy  over  the  question  of 
the  beginning  of  the  agitation  for  teaching  agriculture  in 
the  public  schools,  which  is  now  so  generally   adopted. 


16      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

Secretary  Kelley  had  recommended  this  idea  one  year  be- 
fore, but  the  first  specific  action  taken  by  the  National 
Grange  was  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  on  November  29, 
1878,  offered  by  Mr.  Harwell  of  Tennessee,  demanding  the 
teaching  of  elementary  agriculture  in  the  public  schools. 
We  have  no  record  of  any  public  action  upon  this  subject 
previous  to  this  time,  thus  once  more  vindicating  the 
Grange's  claim  to  leadership. 

We  need  not  consider  national  or  state  questions  alone 
to  see  where  the  Grange  is  playing  its  part  with 
effect  and  where  it  still  has  room  for  tremendous  influ- 
ence. To  call  attention  to  the  frequency  with  which 
local  school  issues  appear  upon  Grange  programs  suf- 
fices to  illustrate  this  point.  School  matters  should  be 
discussed  in  Grange  sessions  even  oftener  than  they  are. 
Where  better,  when  a  Grange  exists  in  a  neighborhood, 
can  patrons  of  a  school  get  together  and  talk  over  the 
problems  that  so  closely  affect  the  lives  of  their  chil- 
dren ?  Here  is  common  ground  for  two,  three,  or  a  score 
of  people,  for  there  is  scarcely  a  member  of  any  Grange 
who  is  not  interested  in  the  school  life  of  a  little  one. 
For  years  the  cry  has  gone  up  that  rural  schools  do  not 
fit  boys  and  girls  for  contented  and  successful  lives  in 
the  country.  Great  need  is  there  that  every  rural  or- 
ganization should  study  and  discuss  the  country  school 
problem  until  a  satisfactory  solution  is  found.  A  single 
chick  of  a  child  is  as  dear  and  worth  as  much  to  educate 
if  he  is  the  only  one  in  a  district,  as  if  he  belonged  to 
the  old  woman  who  lived  in  a  shoe. 

Many  scores  of  communities  have  in  recent  years 
felt  the  stimulating  effect  of  Grange  influence  thrown 


DEPAETMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    17 

into  contests  against  the  open  saloon.  This  was  a  neigh- 
borhood work  that  touched  every  member  in  a  more  or 
less  personal  way.  The  Grange  is  composed  of  a  home- 
loving  people;  recalling  this,  one  is  not  surprised  to 
find  that  it  has  been  a  strong  force  in  the  suppression  of 
the  liquor  traffic.  Every  Grange  that  sought  thus  to 
help  its  community  to  higher  standards  of  living  had 
back  of  it  the  unequivocal  position  of  State  and  National 
Granges  upon  the  great  subject  of  temperance.  A  typi- 
cal method  of  procedure  was  that  pursued  by  the  Pomona 
Grange  of  Lenawee  County,  Michigan.  Located  in  the 
most  densely  populated  and  richest  agricultural  region 
of  the  state,  this  Pomona  asked  each  of  its  thirty-four 
Subordinate  Granges  to  devote  one  meeting  before  elec- 
tion to  a  debate  upon  the  question :  "  Eesolved,  that 
it  is  better  and  cleaner  to  raise  our  boys  and  girls  in  a 
dry  county  than  in  a  wet  one."  Speakers  were  offered 
by  the  county  Grange  in  case  a  Subordinate  Grange 
desired  it.  This  was  putting  into  home  neighborhoods 
organized  effort  along  a  line  of  moral  legislation,  and 
the  Grange  was  a  fit  instrument  at  hand. 

One  more  instance  will  serve  to  illustrate  Grange  in- 
fluence in  community  affairs.  In  a  certain  county  there 
was  a  project  before  the  voters  to  repair  the  county 
house.  At  a  meeting  of  the  county  Grange  the  scheme 
was  scoffed  at  as  being  too  preposterous  to  consider  at 
all;  at  least  the  estimate  of  the  amount  necessary  to 
make  needed  repairs  was  deemed  extravagant.  But  be- 
fore the  discussion  was  quite  closed,  someone  suggested 
that  a  committee  be  sent  to  investigate  for  the  Grange. 
The  result  was  that  the  committee  brought  in  a  verdict 


18      OKIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GEANGE 

that  too  little  money,  rather  than  too  much,  had  been 
proposed.  The  adoption  of  that  report  by  this  county 
organization  of  farmer  tax-payers  carried  sufficient 
weight  with  other  voters  to  lead  to  an  increase  in  the 
amount  raised.  Besides  showing  the  cautiousness  with 
which  the  Grange  commonly  indorses  a  proposition — 
especially  one  which  does  not  originate  within  its  own 
ranks — there  is  another  thing  to  notice  in  this  circum- 
stance: the  Grange  has  grown  to  a  point  where  it  often 
stops  to  look  at  both  sides  of  a  question  before  rendering 
its  verdict. 

EDUCATIONAL 

The  "  lecture  hour  "  in  a  Grange  meeting  is  the  term 
applied  to  the  time  devoted  to  the  program.  The  lecture 
hour  is,  indeed,  the  pearl  of  great  price  in  the  Grange 
movement.  No  other  farm  organization  has  under- 
taken to  make  so  much  of  its  educational  department 
by  means  of  regular  and  insistent  exercise  of  home 
talent.  The  written  law  of  the  Order  is  to  the  effect 
that  every  Grange  must  have  a  program  at  every  meet- 
ing, yet  it  seems  to  be,  rather,  an  unwritten  sense  of 
obligation  pervading  the  strongest  Granges  which  causes 
their  members  to  look  upon  "  taking  part  in  the  pro- 
gram" as  a  moral  responsibility  not  to  be  lightly  shirked. 
And  this  sense  of  compulsion  to  maintain  the  educa- 
tional feature  has,  happily,  been  impressed  upon  thou- 
sands of  Subordinate  Granges.  Whatever  other  stipula- 
tion of  Grange  procedure  they  may  pass  over  lightly, 
they  do  not  omit  or  slight  their  lecture  hour.  In  addi- 
tion to  features  for  entertainment  the  Grange  virtually 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    19 

becomes  an  open  forum.  No  problem  in  the  experience 
of  the  members  is  debarred  if  they  desire  light  and  help 
upon  it.  As  indicated  above,  attention  is  given  to 
special  public  questions  with  an  eye  to  legislation 
affecting  the  economic  or  moral  conditions  among  rural 
people. 

The  effect  on  individual  members  of  such  constant  ob- 
servance of  the  lecture  hour  is  one  of  almost  magical 
transformation  in  many  people  who  have  come  under 
its  influence.  Set  apart  in  isolated  families,  farm  men 
and  women  lacked  the  habit  of  expressing  themselves. 
For  want  of  occasion  or  incentive  to  impart  their 
opinions  to  others,  they  had  become  sluggish.  There 
was  little  or  no  motive  to  stretch  and  to  grow  mentally. 
The  Grange,  with  its  program  hour  twice  each  month, 
came  into  the  routine  of  such  lives  and  literally  remade 
them  through  its  inducement  to  think,  to  talk,  and  to 
put  into  action  the  decisions  which  grew  out  of  thinking 
and  talking  together. 

There  are  thousands  of  men  and  women  who  joined 
the  Grange  in  early  youth,  and  who  now,  though  grown 
aged  and  feeble,  still  attend  the  meetings  in  the  spirit 
of  students  at  college, — open-minded  and  eager  to  par- 
ticipate in  its  intellectual  activities.  Such  members 
justify  the  claim  that  the  Grange  is  clearly  entitled 
to  rank  among  educational  institutions.  It  is,  in  fact, 
a  school  out  of  school,  which  has  no  limited  courses,  no 
graduation  days.  One  of  these  men  and  women,  who 
for  more  than  fifty  years  "  went  to  school "  in  the 
Grange,  was  fond  of  quoting :  "  Man  is  a  perpetual  be- 
coming," and  to  illustrate  the  statement  by  citing  what 


20      OKIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GKANGE 

the  Grange  lecture  hour  had  done  for  many  a  raw,  diffi- 
dent, and  tongue-tied  farm  man. 

There  is  a  saying  of  the  seer,  Swedenborg,  to  the 
effect  that  every  individual  receives  good  in  proportion 
as  he  loves  the  community.  In  the  light  of  this  saying,  a 
member  of  the  Grange  who  seeks  only  his  own  develop- 
ment and  training  stops  far  short  of  its  possible  service 
to  him.  If,  however,  he  comes  to  an  appreciation  of  his 
responsibility  to  life,  he  aligns  himself  to  the  larger 
objects  of  the  Grange.  He  has  found  an  avenue  to  rural 
life  of  the  best  kind.  Experienced  observers  note  that, 
as  a  rule,  individuals  who  do  not  sense  the  higher  good 
of  the  community  soon  allow  their  membership  in  the 
Grange  to  lapse. 

SOCIAL 

Above  all,  the  Grange  is  a  social  magnet  for  hard- 
working, oft-times  discouraged  country  people.  These 
have  the  right  to  look  forward  to  its  meetings  with  eager- 
ness, confident  that  it  will  release  their  tension  and 
offer  a  bracer  for  fresh  courage.  Hearty  greetings, 
cordial  hand-shakes,  sincere  inquiry  after  one  another's 
difficulties,  rejoicing  over  successes,  jolly  and  inspiring 
songs,  light,  warmth,  and  the  uplift  that  comes  from  the 
knowledge  that  they  are  living  in  their  best  selves — 
these  form  the  intangible,  all-powerful  leverage  that 
pries  a  community  out  of  the  mire  of  the  commonplace 
and  lifts  it  toward  that  real  democracy  of  which  we 
dream. 

The  Grange  feast. — The  "  Grange  feast,"  a  part  of 
the  initiatory  exercises,  constituted  the  first  formal  in- 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    21 

troduction  of  social  features  into  the  Grange  program. 
The  feast  is  sometimes  said  to  be  the  leading  attraction 
of  the  organization.  And  why  should  not  the  dinner 
be  an  alluring  occasion,  since  it  furnishes  unrivaled 
opportunity  for  acquaintance  ?  Social  instincts  lead  all 
to  seek  the  pleasant  associations  of  the  dining  table  with 
eagerness.  It  was  partly  because  of  this  fact  that  the 
feast  was  made  the  closing  feature  of  initiation  into 
Grange  membership.  Yet  it  is  not  thrown  in  merely 
to  attract  people  through  their  appetites.  The  Grange 
assembled  in  due  form  represents  the  farm  home — in 
its  manual  work,  its  pastimes,  and  its  mental  exer- 
cises. It  is  obvious  that  the  gathering  of  the  family 
about  the  dining  table  should  have  a  place  in  the  ritual 
in  order  to  complete  its  suggestion  of  home  life.  It  is 
undeniably  true  that  where  two  or  more  people  break 
bread  together  there  springs  up  a  bond  that  did  not 
exist  before.  And  there  is  no  more  popular  feature  of 
the  Grange  than  these  same  "  feasts,"  as  they  are  called. 
For  this  reason  they  should  be  reckoned  with  and  made 
the  most  of. 

The  story  of  how  the  feast  was  made  a  part  of  the 
initiatory  service  has  come  down  from  accounts  which 
"  Father  Kelley  "  gave  of  his  early  attempts  to  formu- 
late the  Grange  plan.  He  related  how,  working  ardu- 
ously and  late  one  night  on  the  ritual,  he  felt  need  of 
refreshment  and  went  out  to  a  pie-counter  for  lunch. 
Here,  engrossed  as  he  was  with  the  picture  of  the  farm 
home  which  he  was  striving  to  portray  through  the 
ritual,  the  idea  of  introducing  the  feast  came  to  him 
and  was  instantly  adopted.     Mr.  Kelley  in  later  years 


22      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

made  a  rough  estimate  of  the  number  of  pies  that  had 
been  sacrificed  as  a  result  of  his  midnight  lunch.  The 
number  would  astonish  us  if  the  facts  could  be  accu- 
rately known.  The  mere  thought  fairly  induces  bad 
dreams. 

Other  means  of  social  growth. — To  make  its  neigh- 
borhood socially  attractive  and  its  people  happy  is  a 
primary  duty  of  every  Grange.  Sometimes  it  requires 
fearless  readjustments  to  meet  this  obligation,  but  it  is 
worth  while.  What  has  been  gained  if  the  Grange  holds 
to  an  unbreakable  routine  but  loses  its  boys  and  girls? 
Not  alone  the  feast  day,  with  its  special  opportunities 
for  sociability,  but  every  feature  of  the  Grange  may 
afford  means  of  developing  social  tendencies.  Grange 
strength  lies  largely  in  the  fact  that  it  brings  all  ages 
and  all  variations  of  taste  into  action  together.  Each 
needs  the  others,  and  in  no  direction  is  the  need  so 
urgent  as  along  the  social  line.  The  nature  of  the  ordi- 
nary Grange  meeting  affords  wide  scope  for  the  prac- 
tise of  courtesy  and  thoughtful  service.  The  necessity 
for  the  older  ones  to  look  after  and  care  for  the  wants 
of  the  children;  the  opportunity  for  the  men  to  assist 
the  women  in  making  the  hall  comfortable  and  in  pre- 
paring and  serving  meals ;  the  chances  for  young  people 
to  make  themselves  helpful  on  every  hand, — these  are 
factors  in  the  social  life  of  the  Grange.  Nor  do  all  the 
opportunities  center  in  the  Grange  hall;  over  the  tele- 
phone, on  the  country  roads,  and  in  their  homes, — 
wherever  members  meet, — the  Grange  injects  its  social 
essence,  the  finest  of  genuine  friendliness. 

Ritual  a  social  help. — The  ritualistic  work  serves  as 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    23 

an  especially  good  example  of  this.  Youths  of  both  sexes 
delight  to  confer  degrees  in  proper  and  artistic  form. 
Such  duties  in  the  Grange  meeting  afford  means  for 
cultivating  self-possession  and  confidence  in  the  timid, 
poise  in  the  awkward,  and  training  in  the  social  ameni- 
ties for  all.  Very  many  people  in  the  Grange,  who  at 
first  looked  askance  at  the  ritual,  changed  their  attitude 
toward  it  when  they  recognized  in  it  a  door  opening,  for 
farm  boys  and  girls,  to  wholesome  physical  and  elevat- 
ing mental  activities. 

Social  leadership  in  the  country. — "  The  dominant 
rural  question,"  says  Scudder,  "  should  not  be :  '  How 
can  I  get  away  ? '  but : '  How  can  I  make  conditions  such 
that  I  shall  be  glad  to  stay  Vn  A  neighborhood  which 
provides  opportunities  for  young  folks  to  become  ac- 
quainted, to  have  good  times  together,  and  to  take  a  just 
pride  in  community  affairs  sees  some  of  them  go  from  it 
with  regret,  but  it  keeps  many  more  in  rural  life.  A 
Grange  affords  for  such  purposes  the  ideal  conditions, 
for  its  meetings  may  amount  to  the  gathering  of  a 
united,  happy,  family  group. 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  the  social  life  of  a 
neighborhood  may  be  developed.  Perhaps  the  most  ele- 
mental and  the  most  available  is  the  use  of  music.  It 
has  been  well  said  that  a  singing  Grange  rarely  dies. 
There  should  be  great  joyful  "  sings  "  out  of  song  books 
of  various  kinds — Grange,  patriotic,  college,  and  sacred. 
Instrumental  music  should  be  encouraged  in  more  ways 
than  it  is ;  everyone  who  has  an  instrument  that  can  be 
carried  should  be  induced  to  bring  it  to  the  Grange.  An 
orchestra  might  be  formed  in  almost  any  neighborhood — 


24      OKIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GKANGE 

crude  and  simple  at  first,  perhaps,  but  serving  as  a  start 
to  bind  people  together  in  wholesome  recreation. 
Choirs,  quartets,  whistling  clubs,  etc.,  organized  within 
its  membership,  attract  many  to  a  Grange.  Games, 
dialogues,  pantomimes,  plays,  and  degree  work  afford 
physical  as  well  as  mental  exercise,  while  dancing 
(which  is  sometimes  thought  to  be  the  only  available 
recreation)  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  more  than  physi- 
cal. Making  a  Grange  the  happiest  occasion  of  all  the 
week  is  insurance  that  its  young  people  will  grow  strong 
of  moral  fiber  and  virile  in  habits. 

While  I  have  been  trying  to  point  out  the  oppor- 
tunities for  the  Grange  to  assume  the  direction  and  lead 
in  the  social  life  of  its  neighborhood,  there  comes  to 
my  desk  the  following  concrete  account  of  what  one 
Grange  has  actually  accomplished  along  this  line,  and  I 
am  glad  to  pass  it  on  to  a  wider  circle  of  readers : 

If  one  wishes  to  see  what  the  Grange  can  do  in  the 
social,  intellectual,  and  moral  elevation  of  neighborhood 
life,  let  him  study  the  work  of Grange.  This  neigh- 
borhood possessed  no  ideals  higher  than  a  cock  or  dog  fight 
entertainment,    and    did   not   meet    together    socially    as 

families.    Mr.  and  Mrs. moved  in ;  there  was  no  hall 

in  which  to  hold  meetings,  and  these  people  had  a  Grange 
organized  and  the  meetings  held  in  the  top  of  their  house, 
up  where  the  birds  nest.  The  meetings  were  enthusiastic 
and  sociable  and  the  young  folks  came  in ;  soon  a  comfort- 
able hall  was  built,  and  the  Grange  hall  is  now  the  social 
center  of  that  community. 

The  recreative  life  of  any  community  will  drift — it 
will  not  lead  itself.     Is  its  Grange  strong  enough,  are 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GRANGE  WORK    25 

its  members  men  and  women  enough,  to  give  sufficient 
thought  and  love  to  transform  the  neighborhood's  social 
life  into  a  real,  organized,  growing  thing?  It  is  not 
easy  to  do  this;  but  that  the  Grange  should  take  the 
active  lead  in  many  communities  toward  a  strong  and 
wholesome  social  life  is  one  of  the  greatest  rural  needs 
at  the  present  time.  New  Granges  can  have  no  greater 
mission  than  this. 

The  Granges  crown. — Closely  akin  to  its  social  value, 
and  yet  operating  on  a  little  higher  plane,  is  the  frater- 
nal spirit  of  the  Grange.  The  Order  indorses  the  ob- 
servance of  Memory  Day,  when  wreaths  are  placed  on 
the  graves  of  its  honored  dead.  The  influence  of  pro- 
moted loved  ones  is  thus  impressed  the  more  deeply 
upon  its  members,  and  cemeteries  are  made  to  add  to, 
not  detract  from,  the  general  beauty  of  their  natural 
surroundings.  The  Grange  sends  flowers  at  the  time 
of  the  death  of  the  body,  it  has  its  form  for  funeral  cere- 
mony and  its  memorial  services,  but  greater  than  this  is 
its  precept  that  life  is  immortal.  The  crumbling  tene- 
ment of  clay  is  not  the  goal  of  any  soul-stirring  work. 
Pointing  above  and  beyond  such  a  thought,  the  Grange 
enjoins  upon  its  members  a  life  in  keeping  with  belief 
in  immortality.  They  desecrate  this  teaching  when  they 
pause  too  long  beside  the  bier.  The  command  comes  to 
everyone,  "  Go  forward !  "  and  no  one  can  wisely  tarry 
in  life's  continued  journey.  In  recognition  of  this  the 
Grange  teaches  its  members  to  love  and  respect,  to  bear 
with  and  to  overlook  failures  and  shortcomings,  here 
and  now,  and  to  nurture  spiritual  growth  in  one  another 
as  a  work  of  first  importance.    It  believes  that  everlast- 


26      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

ing  life  is  within  us  now,  and  it  reaches  its  highest 
point  in  ministering  to  it.  Many  times  have  I  heard 
eloquent  testimony  to  this  fact,  but  one  occasion  stands 
out  most  vividly.  At  a  Grange  roll-call  each  member 
present  responded  by  stating  which  feature  of  Grange 
association  had  meant  most  to  him  or  her.  With  feel- 
ing testimony,  almost  without  exception,  the  members 
arose  and  paid  tribute  to  the  human  influence  of  the 
Order.  One  man  had  been  helped  to  shingle  his  barn, 
and  another  to  put  in  his  crops  by  Grange  "  bees,"  when 
misfortunes  had  befallen;  a  member  had  received  re- 
peated offerings  of  flowers  in  days  of  sickness ;  the  Lec- 
turer had  been  ill  for  months,  but  the  words  of  cheer 
and  appreciation  sent  to  her  from  the  Grange  meetings 
had  buoyed  her  courage  and  tided  her  over  many  a  hard 
day;  old  and  reticent  men  spoke  with  trembling  tones 
of  choice  friendships  made  through  the  Grange ;  and  all 
eyes  grew  moist  as  one  mother  told  of  the  wordless 
sympathy  and  numberless  acts  of  fraternal  love  that 
flowed  in  a  continuous  stream  through  her  home  when 
her  little  ones  were  stricken  by  disease  and  several  of  her 
flock  called  from  her.  Such  experiences  as  these  make 
the  Grange  in  its  best  estate  seem  to  wear  a  jewel- 
studded  crown! 


CHAPTER  III 

EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD 

"  The  Grange  is  where  the  future  is  grown  and  raised,"- 
said  the  mayor  of  a  far  north  city  when  he  welcomed  the 
State  Grange  to  its  midst.  It  is  a  good  omen  when  men 
entirely  outside  the  range  of  its  activities  thus  recognize 
in  the  Order  its  larger  aims  and  prospective  influence 
on  public  sentiments  and  events.  Skilled  specialists 
might  well  be  daunted  by  the  bigness  of  the  Grange  field 
as  it  is  laid  out  before  the  local  workers  in  the  four 
main  divisions  of  Grange  effort :  the  financial,  the  legis- 
lative, the  educational,  and  the  social ;  and  yet  here  are 
already  busy,  burdened  housewives  and  farm  men  under- 
taking the  officering  of  these  local  organizations  without 
financial  return  and  often  at  great  sacrifice  of  strength 
and  convenience  to  themselves.  Many  of  them,  new  to 
their  offices,  do  not  comprehend  the  far  stretches  of  the 
organization ;  but  most  of  them  do  feel  their  own  lack  of 
experience  and  training,  and  all  of  them  have  joined 
because  they  appreciate  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  their 
need  of  contact  with  others  engaged  in  similar  volun- 
teer rural  service. 

COUNTY,    STATE,    AND    NATIONAL    HORIZONS 

However,   the  workers  in  Subordinate  Granges   do 
not  stand  alone.     Theirs  is  but  the  first  in  a  chain  of 

27 


28      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GEANGE 

organizations,  each  link  of  which  lifts  them  to  a  wider 
outlook.  Next  above  the  Subordinate  is  the  county  or 
Pomona  Grange,  and  beyond  that  lie  the  state  and  na- 
tional bodies.  To  these  latter  the  Subordinate  and 
county  organizations  are  bound  by  means  of  delegates 
and  by  state  and  national  publications.  Public  ques- 
tions and  movements  of  the  widest  range  are  thus 
brought  into  intimate  relations  with  every  local  Grange, 
and  its  opinions,  if  arrived  at,  are  finally  embodied  in 
the  national  decision.  Because  of  the  opportunities 
for  open  debate  which  the  Subordinate  and  Pomona 
Granges  offer  through  their  program  hours,  the  posi- 
tions of  State  and  National  Granges  are  being  checked 
up  constantly.  If  action  of  the  higher  bodies  is  not 
satisfactory  to  the  rank  and  file  "  back  home,"  the 
remedy  lies  within  reach.  The  final  crystallizing  of 
rural  opinion,  so  far  as  the  Grange  is  concerned,  rests 
within  the  control  of  the  Subordinate  or  home  Granges. 
The  Pomona  Grange  holds  a  strategic  position.  It 
stands  nearer  to  patrons  than  either  the  State  or  the 
National  Granges;  and  it  is  far  enough  removed  from 
each  individual  to  command  a  view  of  the  large  number 
of  farming  people  who  constitute  the  county  population. 
It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  Pomona  Grange 
should  nowhere  be  content  with  either  present  or  past 
achievements,  but  press  forward,  urging  its  Subordinate 
Granges  to  more  activity  in  their  local  fields  and,  for 
itself,  taking  leadership  in  county  rural  affairs.  These 
new  times  in  country  matters  are  days  of  the  organized 
community.  Rural  residents  are  forming  the  habit  of 
looking  about  in  terms  of  the  neighborhood,  instead  of 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  29 

the  individual  farmer  and  family.  More  and  more  is 
the  county  growing  to  be  the  unit  of  progressive  under- 
takings. The  Pomona,  therefore,  stands  in  position  to 
take  leadership  in  everything  that  pertains  to  the 
county's  weal  or  woe.  The  opportunity  brings  respon- 
sibility also.  It  means  that  no  proposition  affecting 
the  county  may  be  hastily  turned  down  but  must  needs 
be  given  full  consideration. 

SUMMER   EALLIES 

In  the  normal  development  of  the  Grange  there  has 
grown  up  a  very  important  summer  feature  known  as 
the  "  rally."  In  reality  it  is  a  one-day  Chautauqua.  It 
takes  the  form,  almost  universally,  of  a  picnic  in  a  grove 
in  the  open  country.  There  is,  of  course,  a  great  pot- 
luck  dinner,  and,  more  and  more  commonly,  there  is  a 
well  worked  out  program  of  contests  and  games.  But 
the  rally's  distinctive  feature  is  its  program,  an  open-air 
program  when  people  often  sit  on  hard  and  backless 
seats  for  three  hours  at  a  time,  giving  close  attention  to 
music  and  recitations  rendered  by  members  of  nearby 
Granges,  and  to  one  or  two  addresses  given  by  State 
or  National  Grange  officers  or  by  others  who  have  spe- 
cial messages. 

The  noticeable  feature  of  most  of  these  Grange  pro- 
grams is  that  so  large  a  part  of  them  is  contributed 
from  within  the  membership  itself.  As  has  been  previ- 
ously indicated,  this  practice  is  characteristic  of  the 
Grange.  This  is  illustrated  by  a  laughable  occurrence 
at  a  State  Grange  session  a  year  ago,  when  a  banquet 
was  announced  with  a  program  to  follow.    Plates  were 


30     ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

to  be  laid  for  several  hundred  guests  and  the  after- 
dinner  speeches  were  expected  to  be  correspondingly 
ambitious.  A  professional  entertainer,  who  sought  out 
the  Lecturer  and  solicited  a  place  on  the  program,  was 
obviously  confused  upon  learning  her  plans;  a  little 
later  he  confided  to  an  acquaintance :  "  That  woman,  in 
charge  of  the  banquet  program,  is  a  queer  sort;  she 
intends  to  use  just  folks  for  her  entertainment !  " 

The  summer  rally  throws  into  relief,  as  no  other  rural 
gathering  does,  certain  results  that  accrue  to  a  people 
whose  members  get  together  often  for  intellectual  im- 
provement : 

1.  They  expect  to  listen  to  the  program;  they  are 
trained  in  the  habit  of  giving  courteous  attention. 

2.  They  are  sympathetically  appreciative  of  even  quite 
amateur  platform  efforts  because  they  see  in  them  the 
stages  by  which  members  of  their  own  families  or  neigh- 
borhoods are  lifting  their  crude  beginnings  to  something 
better. 

3.  They  can  also  recognize  and  pay  tribute  to  the  artist 
entertainer  or  to  the  master  orator  when  he  has  a  place 
on  the  program. 

One  of  the  greatest  rural  program  conductors  that  the 
Grange  has  given  to  country  life  is  Hon.  George  B.  Hor- 
ton,  of  Fruit  Ridge,  Michigan.  Mr.  Horton  is  now 
serving  his  thirty-seventh  year  as  Master  of  his  home 
Subordinate  Grange;  for  ten  years  he  was  Master  of 
his  Pomona,  and  for  fourteen  years  Master  of  his  State 
Grange.  In  each  of  these  positions  it  has  been  his 
policy  to  keep  in  closest  possible  touch  with  the  program 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  31 

work,  and  very  much  of  its  conspicuous  development 
that  has  gone  on  under  his  leadership  is  traceable  to  his 
counsel  and  suggestion.  Whatever  he  may  say  regard- 
ing Grange  building  by  means  of  its  programs  must, 
therefore,  have  weight.  Asked  concerning  his  rules  for 
making  large  open-air  Grange  gatherings  count  for 
something  definite  and  worth  while,  he  responded  to  the 
questions  as  follows: 

1.  What,  in  your  opinion,  are  some  of  the  essentials 
to  success  on  the  part  of  a  committee  on  arrangements 
for  a  Grange  rally? 

First,  an  earnest,  active  desire  to  make  the  rally  a  suc- 
cess as  a  strengthener  and  builder  of  Grange  sentiment  in 
the  vicinity  where  held.  Second,  a  fixed  plan  for  program, 
with  advertising  and  all  essential  details  thoroughly  pre- 
pared and  executed.  Third,  the  plan  made  broad  and 
liberal  so  all  farmers  will  feel  free  to  attend,  prepared  for 
enjoyment  as  well  as  profit,  but  not  letting  side  attractions 
interfere  with  deliberate  rendition  of  the  program. 

2.  What  suggestions  would  you  give  to  Lecturers  in 
making  up  a  program  for  a  rally  ? 

So  far  as  possible  have  all  subjects,  speeches,  recita- 
tions, and  songs  of  such  a  nature  and  character  as  to  turn 
the  thoughts  of  all  listeners  toward  the  Grange.  Patrons 
should  be  on  the  grounds  early  so  as  to  meet  and  greet  all 
arrivals;  especially  do  strangers  need  to  be  shown  about 
details  and  plans  for  the  day.  The  program  should  be 
broad  enough  so  that,  aside  from  the  main  speaker  who  will 
cover  general  ground,  the  women,  young  people,  and  chil- 
dren may  be  recognized.^ 


32      OEIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

3.  What  are  a  few  appropriate  topics  for  addresses 
or  papers  by  local  speakers  at  rallies  ? 

Organization  of  farmers  a  necessity  of  the  day. 

The  Grange  is  the  ideal  form  and  plan  of  organization. 

The  farmers  unorganized  are  at  the  mercy  of  other 
organized  interests. 

Success  on  the  broader  basis  means  social,  intellectual, 
and  business  contact;  organization  gives  it. 

The  Grange  stands  for  all  that  is  progressive  and  ideal 
in  farm  life. 

The  Grange  creates  independence  in  the  farm  man  and 
woman,  and  because  of  their  self-respect  others  respect 
them. 

4.  Will  you  give  a  few  pertinent  points  for  state 
speakers  to  observe? 

Keep  in  mind  that  a  rally  is  a  Grange  occasion  and  as 
such  is  worthy  of  thorough  preparation.  The  Grange  is 
independent  of  all  partisan  politics  and  personal  ambitions 
and,  because  of  this,  a  rally  speaker  should  studiously  avoid 
all  these  lest  his  influence  be  adverse  to  the  real  cause  he 
represents.  Be  earnest  in  presenting  the  Grange  cause,  for 
in  no  other  way  can  the  confidence  of  hearers  be  secured. 
Do  not  be  timid  in  urging  benefits  to  farmers  for,  as  agri- 
culture prospers,  so  do  all  other  interests: 

THE  GRANGE  AND  WOMEN 

To  one  who  delights  in  the  benefits  of  organization 
there  comes  an  hour  when  courage  fails.  That  hour  is 
when  he  looks  from  the  car  window  and  sees  the  lone- 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  33 

standing  farm  and  ranch  houses  of  any  one  of  our  great 
western  agricultural  states,  and  reflects  that  in  each 
home  lives  a  farm  woman.  It  is  difficult  then  to  escape 
the  query,  "  How  can  organization  attempt  to  bind 
these  separated  women  together  ? "  Yet  it  has  dared 
even  this  seemingly  impossible  task. 

The  roots  of  such  an  organization  run  back  for  a  life- 
time, and  are  interesting  to  trace.  A  typical  case  may 
be  found  in  the  account  of  one  actual  beginning  in  this 
direction, — typical  of  those  that  took  place  at  scattered 
points  all  over  the  country.  This  one  began  when  five 
women,  who  lived  on  farms  six  miles  from  a  railroad, 
met  at  a  district  schoolhouse  and  formed  a  "  Home  Cul- 
ture Club."  They  chose  first  the  study  of  physiology,  as 
only  one  of  them  had  ever  had  it  in  school  and  as  all  of 
them  were  mothers.  Next  year  they  selected  botany  as 
the  main  study,  with  current  events,  and  now  and  then  a 
fine  quotation  or  favorite  poem  thrown  in  for  sentiment. 
It  meant  taking  out  their  school-books,  putting  the  dic- 
tionary and  atlas  on  the  living-room  table,  and  cultivat- 
ing interests  outside  of  their  daily  routines.  Their 
children  felt  the  change,  and  the  dining-room  table  talk 
was  tinged  with  things  heard  at  "  Mother's  Club."  Life, 
some  way,  was  different.  About  this  time  "  organiza- 
tion "  came  to  be  a  common  word  among  common  people 
everywhere.  On  the  crest  of  this  popular  impulse  rode 
the  Grange  and  the  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific 
Circle,  which  two  did  more  to  incite  farm  people  toward 
longing  and  activity  for  co-operation  with  those  of  their 
kind  than  any  other  associational  movements  of  their 
day. 


34      OEIGIK  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GKANGE 

Slowly,  and  almost  without  notice  or  comment,  these 
organizations  made  a  powerful  contribution  to  com- 
munity culture  which  previously  had  depended  chiefly 
upon  an  occasional  Good  Templars'  Society  or  a  coun- 
try Sunday  School.  Imperceptibly  the  emphasis  of 
their  efforts  shifted  from  the  financial  or  literary  to 
social  phases.  The  great  good  that  was  being  done  where 
they  existed  was  that  people  came  to  know  one  another. 
They  came  to  realize  that  they  were  very  much  alike, 
with  similar  ambitions,  disappointments,  and  many 
mutual  daily  experiences.  Barriers,  which  had  sepa- 
rated none  the  less  because  they  were  imaginary,  were 
dissipated.  To  find  others  with  like  tastes  and  work  is 
always  to  farm  people  an  experience  to  count  time  by. 
This  is  peculiarly  true  of  women.  Thousands  of  in- 
stances can  be  cited  where  a  farm  woman  has,  through 
organization,  been  led  to  discover  not  only  genuine 
friends  among  her  neighbors,  but,  what  is  far  more  to 
the  purpose,  she  has  found  a  new  self  within  her  own 
being.  This  new  self  proves  to  be  a  woman  with  latent 
possibilities  of  action,  dormant  affections,  and  unmined 
depths  of  enjoyment;  developed  under  the  genial  sun- 
shine of  sympathetic  association,  it  lures  her  forward 
along  the  lines  of  her  best  womanliness. 

Especially  is  it  true  that  the  farm  woman  comes  into 
her  own  in  those  rural  organizations  where  men  and 
women  meet  and  act  upon  an  equal  footing,  as  in  the 
Grange.  Here  women  appreciate  that  their  part  in 
home  and  community  welfare  equals  but  does  not  usurp 
the  men's  part.  A  farm  woman  is  accustomed  to  work- 
ing and  planning  with  her  husband  and  sons  at  home, 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  35 

and  she  falls  easily  into  doing  the  same  on  a  community 
scale. 

The  change  that  first  strikes  one's  attention,  in  a  com- 
munity where  the  Grange  has  prospered  for  a  number 
of  years,  is  a  difference  in  the  physical  conditions  and 
equipment  of  the  farms  and  homes  themselves.  Methods 
of  handling  the  soil,  farm  machinery,  quality  of  stock 
and  poultry,  varieties  of  fruit  and  garden  produce, — 
all  these  have  undergone  improvement  and  extensiou. 
More  business  system  is  evident.  New  ideas  from  the 
commercial  and  scientific  worlds  have  been  imported 
and  applied  to  practical  and  profitable  ends.  A  notice- 
able feature  is  the  number  of  well-seeded  lawns  that  are 
mown  and  have  upon  them  swings  or  hammocks  or 
equipments  for  games.  Searching  further,  one  finds 
that  the  reading  matter  of  this  neighborhood  has  in- 
creased in  quantity  and  has  undergone  a  change  to  a 
higher  grade.  Moral  requirements  have  in  many  in- 
stances been  raised.  Speech  has  been  purged  of  rough- 
ness, vulgarisms,  and  back-bitings.  Religion  is  re- 
spected and  practised  in  larger  measure.  Thrift,  on  the 
one  hand,  betokens  business  awakening;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  indicates  neighborhood  improvement. 
Even  in  a  cursory  examination  one  notes  these  changes 
in  progress  in  a  community  where  a  live  Grange  exists. 
The  reasons  for  this  is  because  the  organizations  that 
bring  people  together  at  frequent  intervals  afford  occa- 
sions for  members  to  exchange  ideas  and  methods.  Fric- 
tion of  mind  on  mind  is  stimulating.  The  practice  of 
songs,  the  writing  and  reading  of  papers,  taking  part  in 
discussions,  making  impromptu  speeches,  keep  the  cur- 


36      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

rents  of  thought  fresh.  The  women  in  the  Grange  are 
helped  more  than  the  men  by  this  for,  otherwise,  they 
are  more  hedged  in  and  turned  back  upon  their  own  re- 
sources. The  prison  bars  of  their  own  self -hood  need  to 
be  broken  down  to  effect  their  release  and  enable  them 
to  do  the  best  for  their  families  and  neighbors.  And 
everything  in  the  Grange  association  helps  them — the 
business  and  legislative  features  as  well  as  the  social 
hour  and  program,  each  in  its  own  way.  Wherever  tax 
laws  are  made  to  relieve  farm  lands  of  unjust  burdens; 
or  pure  food  laws  to  rid  farm  products  of  undue  com- 
petition ;  or  machinery  to  abolish  manual  labor ;  in  short, 
wherever  these  material  gains  have  been  made,  there 
woman's  lot  is  easier,  more  livable.  While  improvement 
in  material  conditions  is  most  obvious  to  the  casual  ob- 
server, mental  stimulus  is  really  the  source  of  this  im- 
provement. Organizations  which  practically  include 
the  family  with  its  entire  range  of  work,  interests,  and 
social  life,  are  able  to  give  to  the  intellectual  lives  of 
their  members  a  tremendous  impetus.  They  can  do  so 
because  of  the  regular  feature  of  a  program  hour  at 
each  meeting ;  otherwise  they  do  not  meet  the  all-round 
needs  of  rural  life. 

Once,  in  a  discussion  upon  the  advantages  which  the 
Grange  has  brought  to  her  sex,  a  woman  said,  "  Fifty 
years  ago  a  woman  thought  that  '  he '  must  think,  say, 
and  do  for  the  family,  and  '  she  '  should  only  prod  him 
up  once  in  a  while.  Association  in  organizations  has 
fitted  and  led  the  woman  to  assume  a  fair  part  in  the 
decisions  of  the  family.  It  has  discovered  her  mind  to 
herself.     Moreover  it  has  taught  her  to  love  and  work 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  37 

with  those  diametrically  opposed  to  her  in  opinion." 
Another  woman  said :  "  It  has  brought  women  to  realize 
that  their  neighbors  are  human  beings  with  difficulties, 
aspirations,  varied  successes  and  failures  like  them- 
selves." A  man  offered  this  comment:  "It  has  been 
worth  all  the  effort  the  organization  has  ever  cost  this 
neighborhood  to  make  my  wife  and  me  acquainted  with 
our  nearest  neighbors."  Still  another  observed :  "  It  has 
increased  women's  ability  to  grasp  public  questions  and 
discuss  them.  The  time  is  here  when  they  must  every- 
where take  an  active  part  in  affairs  at  large,  and  the 
Grange  has  been  fitting  them  for  this  active  part.  Farm 
women  have  come  to  this  wider  outlook  none  too  soon." 

Through  the  agitation  and  study  of  the  rural  school 
problem  in  the  Grange  meeting  farm  women  are  coming 
more  and  more  to  understand  and  accept  their  own  rela- 
tion to  its  solution.  Committees  visit  the  schools  and 
report  upon  what  they  find ;  friendliness  with  the  teach- 
ers is  encouraged ;  courses  of  study  are  being  examined 
and  defects  pointed  out ;  examples  of  consolidated  rural 
schools  are  becoming  familiar;  and,  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence of  all  this,  women  are  being  put  upon  the 
school  boards  and  are  taking  an  active  part  in  school 
management. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  material  and  mental 
benefits  that  have  accrued  to  farm  women  through  or- 
ganization, these  have  been  far  excelled  by  their  social, 
spiritual,  and  esthetic  blessings.  The  hard,  material 
side  of  many  a  country  woman's  life  has  often  been 
harshly  set  forth  in  blunt  phrase  or  doubtful  doggerel. 
Is  not  the  more  accurate,  though  usually  unworded, 

4  7  G  0  1 


38      ORIGIN"  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

wish  of  the  farm  woman  far  more  truly  expressed  in  the 
following  lines  by  Mary  A.  Townsend? 

I  am  tired,  so  tired  of  rigid  duty, 

So  tired  of  all  my  tired  hands  find  to  do ! 

I  yearn,  I  faint  for  some  of  Life's  free  beauty, — 

Its  loose  beads  with  no  straight  string  running  through, 

Ay,  laugh,  if  laugh  you  will,  at  my  crude  speech, 

But  women  sometimes  die  of  such  a  greed, — 

Die  for  the  small  joys  held  beyond  their  reach, 

And  the  assurance  they  have  all  they  need. 

Over  against  the  yearnings  for  the  small  joys  ex- 
pressed in  this  poem,  let  me  place  the  testimonies  of  a 
few  women  who  have  been  under  the  influence  of  farm 
organizations  for  a  number  of  years.  These  will,  I  hope, 
go  far  to  prove  how  these  societies  become  a  vital,  con- 
structive force  in  the  lives  of  farm  women.  All  of  the 
women  quoted  here  lived  in  the  open  country  and  led 
actual  farm  women's  lives.  Each  was  asked  what  bene- 
fit she  had  experienced  from  organized  farm  associa- 
tions. One  replied :  "  It  has  given  me  a  better  home 
training  and  taught  me  to  live  with,  as  well  as  for,  my 
children.  It  gives  a  closer  touch  with  humanity.  Little 
mole  hills,  that  become  mountains  if  one  knows  only 
her  own  daily  round  of  vexations  and  cares,  assume  their 
due  proportion  when  compared  with  the  lives  and  ex- 
periences of  others.  It  gives  me  a  sense  of  the  strength 
that  lies  in  unity  and  a  greater  respect  for  my  fellow 
craftsman." 

Another,  a  little  Scotch  woman  whom  the  Grange 
found  and  placed  in  a  larger  world  of  information  and 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  39 

activity :  "  I  have  come  into  contact  with  the  best  people. 
These  organizations  have  developed  latent  talent  and 
helped  me  to  know  myself.  I  feel  so  keenly  the  need  of 
the  mental,  moral,  and  social  uplift  which  they  can  give, 
and  I  am  so  anxious  to  see  every  farm  wife  and  daughter 
in  one  or  all  of  them  that  I  would  count  the  remainder 
of  my  life  well  spent  if  I  might  materially  assist  in  this 
happy  consummation." 

The  mother  of  nine  children  in  a  little  log  house, 
thirty-seven  miles  from  a  railroad,  writes :  "  I  find  my- 
self benefited  in  every  way.  Before  I  became  a  member 
of  the  Grange  I  was  always  at  home  and  held  no  thought 
beyond  that  small  home  circle.  Now  I  like  to  get  out 
and  mingle  with  the  outside  world  and  brush  my  wits 
with  those  of  others  whom  I  meet;  consequently  I  feel 
brighter  and  better  qualified  to  fulfil  my  duties  at 
home." 

An  ex-teacher,  now  a  wife  and  mother,  writes :  "  In 
our  community  where  there  is  no  other  organization, 
the  Grange  has  been  the  means  of  interesting  farm 
women  in  the  problems  relating  to  the  welfare  of  our 
neighborhood;  clubs  have  been  formed  for  helpfulness, 
and  a  desire  created  for  study  and  good  reading.  Per- 
sonally, the  Grange  has  taught  me  to  love  my  home  bet- 
ter, the  farm  better,  and  to  understand  more  fully  the 
problems  of  rural  life,  and  to  economize  my  time  so 
that  a  portion  can  be  given  to  outside  things." 

Another,  who  has  developed  unusual  ability  for 
leadership  under  the  stimulus  of  associated  effort,  says 
of  its  influence :  "  Its  great  benefit  is  the  opportunity 
for  self-improvement.    The  educational  feature  is  para- 


40     ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GEANGE 

mount ;  to  me  it  was  a  series  of  doors,  each  opening  into 
a  larger  room  than  the  last." 

One  woman,  who  had  good  educational  advantages  in 
girlhood,  when  married  found  herself  drifting  into  the 
conventional  stream  of  hard  farm  work,  without  intel- 
lectual, club,  or  social  life.  She  revived  her  ideals, 
joined  the  Grange  with  her  husband,  and  allowed  her 
life  to  expand  generously  under  its  impetus  and  sug- 
gestions. She  was  richly  blessed  in  this  course,  and  the 
influence  of  her  activities  reached  thousands  of  other 
farm  women.  She  enlisted  the  efforts  of  farm  organi- 
zations in  behalf  of  children  in  farm  homes;  she  co- 
operated in  planning  and  providing  women's  meetings 
for  country  women  where  they  might  discuss  their  rela- 
tions as  wives  and  mothers;  she  aided,  in  co-operation 
with  city  women's  clubs,  a  movement  to  establish  rest 
rooms  in  court  houses  for  farm  women;  and  she  was 
instrumental  in  giving  fresh-air  outings  to  hundreds  of 
city  women  and  children.  Scores  of  other  devoted, 
capable  farm  women  are  now  carrying  on  these  and 
similar  lines  of  work  which  Mary  A.  Mayo,  one  of  the 
foremost  women  pioneers  in  farm  organizations,  helped 
to  initiate.  Almost  the  last  written  words  of  this 
zealous,  mother-hearted  woman  were  these :  "  I  love 
everybody  so  much ;  I  have  wanted  to  help  people  to  be 
kinder,  truer,  sweeter ;  and  there  is  so  much  to  do !  " 

Here  was  the  tribute  of  one  of  the  earliest  women 
enlisted  in  the  now  nation-wide  movement  for  the  band- 
ing together  of  farm  women.  Beside  it  let  me  place  the 
impulsive  post-script  in  a  letter  which  came  to  my  desk 
last  week  from  a  young  woman,  a  farmer's  daughter, 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  41 

who  is  now  doing  splendid  service  as  a  leader  in  intel- 
lectual and  social  exercises  of  a  large  country  Grange. 
She  wrote :  "  There  is  so  much  we  want  to  read,  and  so 
many  things  to  think  about  and  to  do.  It  is  good  to 
live,  to  care,  to  try — even  if  we  don't  accomplish  all  we 
would  like." 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  Grange,  as  an  or- 
ganized body,  advocated  and  stood  for  votes  for  women 
in  politics  long  before  a  very  considerable  number  of 
its  women  themselves  were  converted  to  the  doctrine. 
The  transformation  of  the  sentiment  and  attitude  of 
these  conservative  farm  women  has  been  one  of  the 
most  interesting  of  the  many  quiet  educational  cam- 
paigns in  Grange  history.  Slowly  and  thoughtfully,  as 
state  after  state  took  up  the  question  and  wrestled 
with  it,  these  Grange  women  came  into  line  and  gave 
battle  against  those  aligned  on  the  other  side.  The 
unanswerable  and  convincing  argument  to  them  was  the 
fact  that  for  fifty  years  they  had  voted  and  worked  in 
the  Grange  on  an  equality  with  men.  Some  of  the  most 
forceful  arguments  for  suffrage  will  be  found  in  the 
reports  of  women  officers  made  to  their  respective  State 
Granges. 

Over  and  over  rural  women  were  asked :  "  Why 
should  farm  women,  in  particular,  deserve  or  need  the 
vote  ?  "  In  reply,  thoughtful  Grange  women  answered : 
"  Whoever  asks  that  question  does  not  really  know  farm 
life ;  does  not  recognize  what  women  and  girls  are  doing 
on  farms  this  very  day.  Whoever  wonders  why  farm 
women  deserve  the  ballot,  the  same  as  their  men,  has 
not  seen  them  in  emergencies  pitch  hay  and  wheat,  drive 


42      ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

and  handle  farm  machinery,  milk  cows,  deliver  milk, 
make  garden — and  keep  their  households  running  be- 
sides. The  farm  wife  is  the  partner  of  her  husband 
as  no  other  wife  is  and  she  understands  the  details  of 
his  business  as  does  no  other  woman.  The  farmer's 
wife  stepped  into  the  breach  when  the  hired  man  left  or 
the  son  went  to  war;  and  in  addition  to  this  she  patched 
and  mended  that  her  family  might  buy  liberty  bonds, 
saved  food  to  feed  the  army,  and  knitted,  snipped,  and 
sewed  for  the  Red  Cross.  Moreover  farm  women  know 
the  injustices  that  exist  against  agriculture  just  as  well 
as  their  men  do;  they  know  the  waste  that  goes  on  be- 
cause of  poor  marketing  facilities,  and  they  know,  too, 
sometimes  better  than  the  men,  how  extravagance  plays 
havoc  in  many  public  places.  The  farm  woman  some- 
times asks  why  every  small  town  needs  three  or  four 
grocery  stores  to  handle  food  stuffs — each  demanding  its 
profits  to  support  a  family — when  one  postomce  serves 
the  self-same  people  from  one  building,  with  one  set  of 
clerks.  Or,  for  that  matter,  why  there  are  two  or  more 
banks,  or  why  it  requires  half  a  dozen  dry-goods  stores, 
bakeries,  and  meat  markets  to  clothe  and  feed  the  same 
folks  whose  mail  is  all  handled  from  one  building.  To 
help  change  some  of  these  things — putting  life  on  a  more 
common-sense,  business-like  basis — the  farmer's  wife 
could  make  good  use  of  the  vote." 

CITT  FARMERS  AS   GRANGE  MEMBERS 

In  nearly  every  section  the  Grange  is  constantly  re- 
ceiving additions  from  a  class  of  people  who,  as  a  rule, 
bring  with  them  a  distinct  advantage  to  the  Order. 


EXTENT  OF  THE  FIELD  43 

These  new  members  are  from  the  ranks  of  city  people 
who,  for  one, reason  or  another,  come  to  make  their 
homes  upon  farms.  They  are  not  confined  to  any  one 
location;  neither  are  they  drawn  to  country  life  by  the 
same  motives.  In  some  instances  failing  health  of  one 
or  more  members  of  the  family  made  it  necessary  to  seek 
the  open  country  for  quiet  rest  or  the  physical  exercise 
required  by  an  outdoor  life.  In  some  cases  business 
openings  in  agricultural  projects  furnished  the  attrac- 
tion. In  others,  love  of  independence,  association  with 
growing  things,  the  peace  of  the  hills,  and  the  music  of 
winds  and  trees  have  attracted  irresistibly  and  made 
work  on  the  farm  preferable  to  that  of  any  other  occu- 
pation. Many  of  these  people  combine  an  intense  love 
for  Nature  with  capable  business  foresight  and  executive 
ability. 

With  few  exceptions  the  aims  of  the  Grange  appeal 
to  such  newcomers.  They  have  been  accustomed  to 
social  activity  in  their  former  relations  and  know  its 
necessity  better  than  those  who  have  labored  for  a  liveli- 
hood without  truly  living  in  the  broadest  sense.  They 
often  view  the  environment  of  the  neighborhood  in 
which  they  settle  with  a  keener  insight  into  its  tenden-' 
cies  and  needs  than  those  who  have  lived  in  it  for  years. 
Sometimes,  of  course,  they  are  mistaken  in  their  first 
hasty  conclusions  and  misjudge  the  community  until 
a  closer  acquaintance  changes  their  opinion;  but  in  the 
main  these  people  come  to  the  country  with  open  minds 
and  a  genuine  desire  to  become  a  part  of  the  neighbor- 
hood life.  The  Grange  affords  the  ideal  meeting  place 
for  the  old  and  new  residents,  the  country  and  the 


44       ORIGIN  AND  IDEALS  OF  THE  GRANGE 

town-bred.  Its  plan  strikes  the  business  person  with 
its  practicability.  Its  objects  appeal  to  the  thoughtful 
as  of  the  highest  quality.  Its  social  opportunities  at- 
tract the  lonely.  Its  teachings  concerning  inter-rela- 
tions between  material  and  mental  growth  impress  the 
spiritually  discerning  as  true  and  uplifting. 

The  enlistment  of  such  people,  who  may  be  thus  in- 
clined to  the  Grange,  is  desirable  for  all  concerned. 
They  give  as  much  as  they  gain,  and  it  is  all  the  better 
if  what  they  contribute  is  of  a  slightly  different  coin. 
Their  training  in  business  affairs,  their  social  habits, 
their  different  viewpoints,  and  varied  associations 
quicken  the  less  lively  flow  of  rural  life  and  thought. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  they  ring  true  they  will  delight 
in  the  unconventional  wisdom,  unadulterated  kindliness, 
and  blunt  candor  to  be  met  with  inside  the  door  of  every 
real  Grange. 


PART  II 
THE  GRANGE  MASTER 


Men's  hearts  ought  not  to  be  set  against  one  another  but  to  be 
set  with  one  another. — Thomas  Cablyle. 

We  are  coming  to  a  new  democracy  which  will  lay  upon  all 
our  institutions  the  test  of  efficiency  in  serving  the  common 
welfare.— E.  J.  Ruliffson. 

The  task  of  agricultural  education  will  never  be  complete 
until  we  reach  the  very  last  man  on  the  farm  with  the  best  things. 
— President  K.  L.  Butterfield,  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  Rural 
Progress  Conference,  March  14,  1913. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES 

In  any  study  of  the  Grange  movement  one  is  impressed 
with  the  fact  of  how  vital  men's  mental  needs  seemed  to 
the  founders  of  the  Order.  Again  and  again  in  the 
early  writings  of  these  men  occur  appeals  to  the  farm- 
er's intelligence,  for  the  sowing  of  good  seeds  of  thought 
and  affection,  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  and  heart, 
and  the  reaping  for  the  mind  as  well  as  for  the  body. 
These  pioneers  were  imbued  with  zeal  to  show  farm  men 
and  women  that  they  ranked  on  a  plane  above  their 
fields,  their  crops  and  herds,  and  needed  first  in  them- 
selves the  harrowing,  the  seed-sowing,  the  tilling,  and 
the  harvesting  that  they  might  better  understand  and 
control  the  elements,  inanimate  tools,  and  dumb  crea- 
tures under  their  charge.  By  every  means  within  their 
power  they  sought  to  make  the  common  implements  and 
common  deeds  of  the  farm  and  home  routine  speak  a 
varied  language. 

Thus  the  installing  officer,  when  initiating  a  Grange 
Master  into  his  office,  enforces  the  thought  of  his  leader- 
ship over  his  Grange  and  in  his  neighborhood  as  his 
bounden  duty.  In  the  course  of  the  installation  the 
Master  is  instructed  as  follows: 

Worthy  brother,  in  performing  this  duty,  I  must  im- 
press upon  your  mind  the   importance   of   the   position 

47 


48  THE  GEANGE  MASTEE 

you  hold.  You  should  be  foremost  in  advocating  the 
principles  and  in  carrying  out  the  objects  of  our  Order. 
To  you  all  connected  with  your  Grange  will  look  for  ex- 
ample; and  not  these  only  but  those  outside  the  gate  will 
diligently  scrutinize  each  act.  Let  me  caution  you  that  you 
keep  the  eye  of  the  mind  open  among  your  members.  En- 
courage improvement;  remember  that  Nature's  motto  is 
"  onward  "  ;  she  never  goes  backward. 

You  may  encounter  difficulties.  Overcome  them,  remem- 
bering that  difficulties  are  but  opportunities  to  test  our 
abilities.  As  Master  of  this  Grange,  your  fellow-laborers 
will  look  to  you  to  devise  work.  A  judicious  Master  will 
take  due  care  that  no  time  is  lost  in  useless  labor.  Let 
all  labor  and  all  time  tend  to  improvement.  Your  labor- 
ers may  not  at  first  comprehend  the  value  of  this;  but 
it  is  your  duty  to  instruct  them.  Thus  you  will  come 
in  contact  with  their  minds;  if  they  are  left  uncultivated, 
if  neglect  is  allowed,  the  moral  weed  crop  will  baffle  and 
torment  you. 

It  is  especially  your  duty  to  exercise  the  supreme  author- 
ity, with  which  you  are  vested,  in  maintaining  order  in  the 
Grange,  and  in  enforcing  obedience  to  the  Constitution  and 
Laws  of  the  Order,  yourself  setting  the  example  in  all 
things.  Decide  all  questions  with  calmness  and  firmness, 
granting  the  right  of  appeal  courteously,  and  abiding  de- 
cisions against  you  cheerfully. 

We  trust  that  it  will  be  a  prominent  part  of  your  duty, 
both  in  and  out  of  the  Grange,  to  encourage  the  education 
of  the  children  within  the  limits  of  your  jurisdiction,  and 
to  plead  that  they  be  not  employed  in  the  arduous  labors  of 
the  field  before  the  mind  has  received  that  gentle  care  and 
training  which  enlivens,  explains,  and  dignifies  labor. 

It  is  an  important  part  of  your  duty  to  exercise  such 
oversight  in  the  conduct  of  the  Grange  as  will  encourage 


THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES  49 

every  officer  to  perform  his  or  her  part,  and  to  suggest  ways 
and  means  of  assistance  whenever  needed. 

Translated  into  briefer  and  more  modern  terms  than 
those  of  the  installation  service,  a  summary  of  a  Mas- 
ter's program  lies  in  these  words:  Progress,  Persever- 
ance, Order,  Child  welfare,  Fraternity.  It  is  a  fre- 
quent observance  that  "  an  astonishing  number  of 
persons  must  be  placed  upon  their  feet  by  agencies  out- 
side themselves  and  kept  moving  by  outside  help." 
Among  such  agencies  as  are  designed  to  set  farm  people 
on  their  feet  and  keep  them  moving  forward,  the  Grange 
takes  front  rank.  But  the  Grange,  in  common  with 
every  other  farm  organization,  ever  stands  in  need  of 
capable  and  trained  leaders.  Dr.  L.  H.  Bailey  has 
stated  it  as  his  belief  that  "  the  greatest  need  in  any 
epoch  is  for  leaders  and  for  managers  of  men ;  "  and 
that  "  great  problems  of  human  leadership  lie  in  tho 
rural  phase  of  our  civilization,  demanding  careful  prepa- 
ration, fellow-sympathy,  and  clear  foresight."  Logically, 
then,  the  election  of  a  man  to  the  Master's  chair  is  a 
distinct  challenge  to  him  to  demonstrate  of  what  caliber 
he  is  possessed.  Should  he  prove  to  have  capabilities  of 
leadership  and  a  determination  to  succeed,  he  will  find 
abundant  scope  for  his  energies.  Moreover,  the  exer- 
cises appointed  for  him  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
his  office  will  yield  him  a  remarkable  training. 

THE  CALL  FOR  A  VISION 

The  people  and  the  duties  with  which  the  Master  of  a 
Grange  has  to  deal  are  of  a  practical  sort,  exceedingly 


50  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

practical;  yet  the  very  first  thing  that  a  person  who 
becomes  a  Master  needs  is  a  vision.  Better  spell  the 
word  with  capitals — VISION — and  remember  that  this 
•does  not  mean  being  visionary.  A  true  vision  includes  a 
backward  view  over  the  past  and  a  sweep  around  into  the 
future.  It  scans  the  horizon  in  order  to  observe  the 
relation  which  the  object  of  its  direct  attention  holds 
to  other  objects,  and  to  discover  in  it  the  unnoticed 
possibilities  of  its  development. 

The  Master  needs,  in  other  words,  all  the  informa- 
tion he  can  manage  to  acquire  of  the  past  history  and 
accomplishments  of  the  Order, — these  firmly  cemented 
into  a  good  familiarity  with  the  Grange  Constitution 
and  Declaration  of  Purposes.  Therefore  a  good  thing 
for  a  new  Master  to  do  is  to  shut  himself  up  for  a  time 
with  these  stable  documents,  together  with  whatever 
reports  of  National  and  State  Grange  sessions  and  cur- 
rent Grange  publications  that  are  available,  and  literally 
saturate  himself  with  their  facts  and  principles.  No 
Master  will  regret  the  time  thus  spent  in  preparation 
for  his  official  duties.  He  must  not  expect,  by  any 
means,  to  accomplish  adequate  preparation  at  one  sit- 
ting; the  study  of  the  Grange  plan,  principles,  and 
possibilities  should  be  continuous  during  his  term  of 
office.  These  must  grow  upon  him,  disclosing  the  mar- 
vel of  their  founders'  wisdom  and  foresight  as  they 
gradually  unfold  before  his  thought  their  remarkable 
adaptation  to  farm  conditions,  but  he  should  consciously 
begin  this  unrolling  of  Grange  history  before  his  own 
eyes.  He  should  voluntarily  put  himself  in  touch  with 
all  sources  of  assistance  necessary  in  the  training  for  his 


THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES  51 

work.  If  it  is  only  a  visit  to  the  Grange  in  an  adjoin- 
ing township, -he  learns  something  from  that  intercourse. 
To  attend  the  county  Grange  affords  a  higher  vantage 
ground  ;  and  whatever  he  can  learn  of  facts  and  methods 
of  the  Order  in  distant  parts  of  his  own  and  other  states 
makes  him  better  understand  its  noble  breadth  and  capa- 
bilities and  his  own  relations  to  it.  Let  no  one  think 
that  time  spent  in  such  preparation  for  the  Mastership 
is  lost.  If  he  is  to  accomplish  anything  worth  while 
during  his  term  cff  office  it  is  absolutely  essential  that 
a  Master  have  a  clearly  defined  idea  of  what  the  Grange 
stands  for  beyond  the  confines  of  his  own  community. 
His  own  conception  of  its  ideals  must  to  a  great  extent 
be  the  limit  of  Grange  attainment  in  his  immediate 
vicinity;  not  satisfied  with  this,  he  should  seek  the  in- 
spiration to  be  derived  from  the  wider  ranges  of  Grange 
effort.  In  moments  of  possible  discouragement  in  his 
own  small  field,  a  clear  consciousness  of  being  con- 
nected with  a  widespread  organization  which  is  achiev- 
ing big  things  will  recharge  his  diminishing  courage, 
animate  him  anew,  and  offer  him  suggestions  which  no 
Master  worthy  of  the  name  can  afford  to  ignore,  much 
less  to  disdain. 

GRANGE  LEVERAGE  IN  COMMUNITY  LIFE 

It  is  helpful  if  the  Master  clinches  in  his  mind  the 
fact  that  an  organization  is  only  a  larger  individual. 
An  association  of  folks  has  the  same  liability  to  weak- 
ness, discouragement,  low  aim  and  general  shiftlessness, 
and  the  same  possibilities  of  strength,  courage,  ambition, 
and  executive  action  that  any  man  in  the  group  may 


52  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

have.  The  Lecturer  of  a  Subordinate  Grange  caught 
this  idea  once  when  she  said :  "  I  wonder  if  every 
Grange  is  on  probation  in  a  community  for  a  time." 
Most  assuredly,  yes,  just  as  a  man  is  on  trial  when 
he  moves  into  a  new  neighborhood.  At  first  all  the 
neighbors  are  expectant,  waiting  to  see  what  direction 
the  newcomer  will  take.  If  he  begins  to  "  slick  up  "  his 
premises,  if  he  shows  a  desire  to  make  friends  and  to 
be  interested  in  his  neighbors,  these  neighbors  express 
their  approval  by  accepting  him.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  newcomer  presents  a  front  in  opposition  to  the 
established  order  of  the  locality,  or  holds  aloof  from  it, 
he  is  not  assimilated,  and  the  neighborhood  moves  on 
regardless  of  his  existence.  Quite  so  with  an  organiza- 
tion ;  unless  it  shows  itself  friendly  and  makes  for  itself 
a  real  and  vital  place  in  the  community,  it  becomes  an 
excrescence — a  cumberer  of  the  ground — and  is  soon 
treated  as  such. 

We  have  read  that  when  a  Master  enters  upon  a  year's 
work,  he  receives  this  charge  from  the  installing  officer : 
"  You  may  encounter  difficulties.  Overcome  them,  re- 
membering that  they  are  but  opportunities  to  test  our 
abilities."  One  of  the  chief  difficulties  that  any  Grange 
is  likely  to  encounter  is  that  of  successfully  adapting 
itself  to  the  changing  needs  of  agricultural  people  in 
general,  and  particularly  to  those  needs  in  its  immediate 
vicinity.  Fortunate  is  the  Grange  whose  Master  under- 
stands this  fact  and  who  asks  himself :  "  What  ought  this 
Grange  to  do  for  this  community  ?  "  This  is  a  fair  ques- 
tion. A  man  who  has  given  much  thought  in  this  direc- 
tion says :   "  Too  many  Granges   do  nothing  for  the 


THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES  53 

community  where  they  exist;  they  meet,  talk,  eat,  buy 
binder  twine,  and  go  home  again.  As  far  as  being 
helpful  to  any  good  work  in  the  community  is  concerned 
they  fail.  Henceforth  we  must  lay  greater  stress  on 
work  for  others."  Many  a  Grange  that  flatters  itself 
that  it  is  a  pretty-good-sort-of-Grange  fails  when  it 
comes  to  this  test  of  community  service.  Let  us  examine 
wherein  these  Granges  have  fallen  short  of  their  pos- 
sible best.  The  tendency  of  the  times  is  to  carry  in- 
formation to  all  people;  to  give  representation  to  all 
classes  and  to  all  individuals  of  each  class,  is  it  not? 
Does  it  not  follow,  therefore,  that  a  Grange  will  lose 
its  place  in  the  race  if  it  does  not  exert  itself  actively 
in  behalf  of  all  persons  in  its  neighborhood  who  are 
eligible  to  become  its  members?  Who  are  these  per- 
sons ?  Not  all  the  people  of  any  neighborhood  are  suc- 
cessful, not  all  are  strong  and  independent ;  but,  scat- 
tered among  the  self-reliant  and  capable,  are  men  and 
women  who  have  been  unfortunate  or  who  possess  less 
ability  or  forehandedness  than  others.  Should  not  a 
Grange  seek  to  carry  its  benefits  to  those  whose  need  is 
greatest?  Are  there  not  enterprises  which  the  Grange 
might  initiate  which  would  materially  assist  such  un- 
lucky or  less  efficient  members  of  the  community? 
These  are  legitimate  questions  for  a  Master  to  put  to 
himself  and  to  seek  to  answer  them  through  the  organi- 
zation of  which  he  is  the  recognized  head. 

In  a  Grange  the  Master  has  a  highly  efficient  instru- 
ment for  practical  use  in  lifting  a  rural  neighborhood 
out  of  the  mire  of  shiftlessness  or  self-complacence.  If 
the  reader  has  never  seen  this  done  in  an  actual  farm 


54  THE  GRANGE  MASTEE 

neighborhood  and  wishes  a  story  of  how  the  instrument 
is  operated,  let  him  read  the  Grange  play  entitled  "  The 
Coming  of  Happy  Valley  Grange  to  Hard  Scrabble 
Hollow."  This  play  presents  the  harsh  and  uncouth 
conditions  of  an  undeveloped  country  neighborhood  and 
depicts  exactly  how,  under  a  discreet  leader,  a  Grange 
can  take  a  neighborhood  by  its  four  corners  and  lift 
it  up. 

No  more  interesting  phase  of  Grange  influence  exists 
than  that  of  its  possible  effect  on  the  home  and  the  com- 
munity life.  There  are  numberless  instances  of  such 
consequences  which  might  be  quoted.  At  a  Grange 
picnic  in  Ohio,  one  summer,  a  group  of  people  were 
discussing  ways  and  means  of  improving  district  schools, 
when  three  or  four  men  drew  near  with  active  interest 
showing  in  their  faces  and  offered  information  about  a 
seven-year  struggle  their  community  had  had  to  secure  a 
new  school  building.  Bit  by  bit  they  gave  the  details 
and  then  one  of  them  exclaimed  significantly :  "  The 
Grange  got  us  that  school  house  all  right.  We  would 
have  been  discouraged  long  ago  if  we  had  worked 
separately." 

Again,  a  certain  little  Grange  that  had  led  a  most 
precarious  life  for  a  number  of  years  began  to  pick  up. 
This  is  the  report  made  by  one  of  its  members :  "  Our 
Grange  had  a  picnic  with  many  present  from  three  other 
Granges  and  a  number  from  our  own  township  who  were 
not  patrons ;  we  felt  that  it  paid  ten  times  over  for  the 
effort.  The  Sunday  School  organized  through  the 
Grange  is  flourishing.  Some  of  us  thought  for  various 
reasons  it  might  be  best  to  close  the  Grange  for  a  time 


THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES  55 

during  the  summer,  so  we  made  an  extra  effort  to  notify 
the  members  that  we  would  vote  upon  it  at  the  next 
meeting.  A  goodly  number  came  out  and  voted  to  con- 
tinue the  meetings.  We  were  so  glad  that,  though  it  is 
sometimes  hard  to  arouse  interest,  the  members  do  ap- 
preciate what  it  means  to  the  township.  Looking  back 
over  the  things  that  the  Grange  has  accomplished  for 
us  here,  we  are  not  discouraged." 

Is,  then,  the  Grange  a  public  service  institution? 
Ask  the  question  in  other  words :  Is  the  Grange,  in  any 
community  the  reader  may  chance  to  know,  a  servant  of 
the  neighborhood  welfare?  If  each  one  can  answer 
"  Yes  "  to  this  question,  then  it  may  truly  be  said  that 
the  Order  at  large  stands  for  public  service.  That  this 
should  be  true  accords  with  the  first  declared  object  of 
the  Grange,  namely,  "  United  by  the  strong  and  faith- 
ful tie  of  agriculture,  we  mutually  resolve  to  labor  for 
the  good  of  our  Order,  our  country,  and  mankind." 
More  and  more  it  is  noticeable  that  the  trend  of  the 
Grange  is  toward  the  good  of  the  community  life,  rather 
than  simply  to  advance  its  paid-up  membership.  This 
fact  has,  on  many  occasions,  been  strongly  emphasized 
by  prominent  Grange  officials.  In  New  York,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  general  work  of  the  Grange,  State  Master 
Giles  once  said :  "  In  the  solution  of  many  of  the  vexed 
and  important  questions,  the  Grange  has  shown  that  it  is 
not  standing  merely  for  selfish,  partisan  interests  of  its 
membership  but  for  the  good  of  agriculture  from  a 
patriotic  standpoint,  and  incidentally  for  the  good  of 
all."  In  Maryland,  Ex-Master  II.  J.  Patterson  once 
dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  relation  of  the  Grange  to 


56  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

community  life,  saying:  "  It  should  take  its  place  next 
to  the  church  and  the  public  school  and  supplement  their 
work.  The  Grange  should  be  a  real  force  for  promot- 
ing the  welfare  of  the  people  and  of  its  community 
along  social,  educational,  and  financial  lines."  He  then 
enumerated  ten  directions  in  which  any  Grange  may 
well  undertake  definitely  to  relate  itself  to  the  neigh- 
borhood in  a  constructive  way.  Briefly  stated,  these  ten 
directions  are:  (1)  a  social  center;  (2)  an  agricultural 
high  school;  (3)  a  center  for  farm  demonstration;  (4) 
a  monthly  farmers'  institute;  (5)  a  home  economics 
club  for  farm  women;  (6)  the  means  of  promoting 
health  in  the  country;  (7)  a  debating  society  for  train- 
ing people  to  take  part  in  public  meetings;  (8)  a  civic 
and  political  economy  club;  (9)  a  medium  for  co- 
operation in  raising,  advertising,  and  selling  of  farm 
products;  (10)  a  community  co-operative  breeding  asso- 
ciation for  improvement  of  animals  and  seeds. 

Surely  there  is  no  excuse,  with  such  a  list  of  ways  in 
which  a  Grange  may  serve,  for  it  to  fail  to  find  a  mission 
in  any  community.  The  thing  to  do,  if  a  Master  comes 
into  the  charge  of  a  torpid  Grange,  is  to  shake  off  time- 
worn  ideas, — or  lack  of  ideas, — of  what  a  Grange  is  for, 
and  get  some  red-blooded  aims  instead.  It  is  not 
simply  to  make  one  more  society ;  not  simply  to  provide 
a  "  place  to  go  " ;  not  simply  to  provide  a  literary  so- 
ciety for  passing  entertainment;  not  simply  a  place 
where  one  pays  dues  and  gets  a  discount  on  binder  twine 
once  a  year.  It  is  all  these,  but  it  should  be  more.  It 
should  be,  as  someone  has  said,  "  a  place  of  performance 
as  well  as  of  papers."     It  should  have  in  view  clear- 


THE  MASTER'S  OPPORTUNITIES  57 

cut  ends  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  locality,  and  be  con- 
stantly working  toward  those  ends.  It  should  believe 
in  the  rightfulness  of  its  mission,  and  the  energy  with 
which  it  pursues  that  mission  should  attract  people  to 
]VTi  its  ranks.  All  these  things,  and  many  more,  are 
the  legitimate  inheritance  of  the  Master  who  looks  upon 
his  Grange  as  a  public  service  institution. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  MASTER  AS  COMMUNITY  LEADER 

That  the  Master  of  a  Grange  may  and  should  be  some- 
thing more  than  chairman  of  a  literary  club  or  ritualistic 
society  must  be  apparent  to  everyone  who  has  read  the 
foregoing  pages  or  gives  the  matter  serious  thought.  Ey 
virtue  of  his  office  the  Master  is  not  merely  the  manipu- 
lator of  fortnightly  vaudeville  stunts,  but  is  the  recog- 
nized leader  of  a  rural  community  in  its  social  and 
intellectual  activities,  and  the  guardian  of  its  respect 
for  labor  and  morals.  It  is  within  his  province,  if  he 
chooses,  to  propose  projects  that,  if  carried  to  accom- 
plishment, will  move  his  whole  neighborhood  to  better 
things.  It  behooves  him  to  see  that  he  knows  the  actual 
condition  of  the  farms  and  homes  of  his  jurisdiction, 
and  he  may  through  the  Grange  attempt  to  inspire  the 
entire  community  with  ever  higher  ideals,  and  to  lead 
its  families  to  adopt  profitable  methods  and  improved 
machinery  for  field  and  home ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  to 
teach  them  to  see  in  these  things  only  a  means  to  gain 
more  time  for  the  cultivation  of  themselves  in  a  con- 
tented rural  life.  In  short,  the  sincere  Master  looks 
beyond  the  improvement  of  the  individual  patron  and 
strives  to  induce  his  Grange,  as  an  organized  body  of 
people,  to  promote  movements  in  the  community  which 
shall  benefit  all  its  residents.  This  is  a  part  of  what  a 
Grange  Master's  leadership  means. 

58 


THE  MASTER  AS  COMMUNITY  LEADER      59 

TRANSLATING    HIS    VISION    INTO    ACTUALITY 

The  Master  of  a  Grange  must  needs  have  ideals — 
but,  what  is  more  to  the  purpose,  he  must  realize  them. 
This  requires  quick  thought  and  decisions;  initiative; 
constructive  planning;  keeping  one's  own  council  while 
entertaining  suggestions  from  others;  frequent  confer- 
ence with  one  or  another  of  the  officers,  or  with  all  of 
them;  and  executive  ability  of  the  sort  that  can  assign 
and  trust  unessentials  to  others.  A  Master  may  have 
all  of  the  qualities  named  above  and  still  fall  short  of 
success  as  a  Grange  head.  He  must  add  to  these  the 
fraternal  spirit, — the  willingness  to  befriend  and  be 
friends  with  the  other  members  of  the  group.  The 
more  he  believes  in  and  inculcates  co-operation,  as  op- 
posed to  competition,  the  stronger  will  his  Grange  work 
prove  itself.  Co-operation  has  an  endless  number  of 
ways  of  expressing  itself  through  the  socially-minded 
Grange.  It  leads  the  Master  to  urge  upon  his  members 
the  motto :  "  Get  acquainted  with  your  neighbor ;  you 
may  like  him  " ;  and  upon  outsiders  that  other  challenge : 
"  Come,  work  with  us  as  we  propose  to  work  with  you, 
for  the  good  of  all  of  us."  It  means  much  more  than 
a  saving  on  coal  bills  and  insurance  rates.  Its  con- 
tinued study  and  practice  show  that  neighbors  do  bet- 
ter to  co-operate  in  the  kinds  of  crops  and  stock  they 
raise,  and  to  exchange  work  and  tools  and  methods  of 
work.  It  eventually  leads  the  producer  group  to  short- 
cut marketing  routes  by  selling  directly  to  groups  of 
consuming  laborers,  factory  men,  or  faculty  folks,  as 
the  case  may  be.    Happily,  in  these  reconstruction  days, 


60  THE  GEANGE  MASTEE 

there  is  an  increasing  number  of  farmers'  associations 
that  are  fast  realizing  the  beneficial  results,  financial 
and  spiritual,  that  accrue  through  their  efforts  thus  to 
practise  business  co-operation.  Looking  backward,  they 
realize  how  deadening  were  the  effects  of  competitive 
methods  on  every  plane  of  their  association  together. 
The  Grange  Master  of  the  future,  if  he  succeeds,  must 
explore  further  and  further  into  the  manifold  advan- 
tages of  co-operative  action.  Up-to-dateness  in  neces- 
sary projects  and  enterprises  that  concern  agriculture 
should  be  considered  when  such  appear  on  the  horizon 
instead  of  waiting  until  they  have  passed  the  zenith  of 
public  interest.  Then  will  the  Grange  play  a  construc- 
tive part  at  the  formative  stage  of  vital  movements 
which  affect  farm  folks. 

Not  many  moons  ago  the  housekeeper  was  lifting  the 
pump  handle  and  bending  over  the  tub  in  unthinking 
belief  that  it  was  the  only  way  to  accomplish  her  tasks ; 
but  today  thousands  are  asking:  "Why  not  make  a 
washwoman  out  of  a  gas  engine  or  electric  motor  ? " 
A  few  seasons  ago  men  asked :  "  Will  alfalfa  grow  in  our 
state  ?  "  Now  they  are  inquiring :  "  How  much  land 
this  year  can  we  seed  to  alfalfa  ?  "  Shortly  ago  one  big 
question  was :  "  Does  the  farmer  need  better  rural 
credit  ?  "  Today  he  is  asking :  "  How  improve  our 
means  of  extending  rural  credit  ?  "  For  many  decades 
past  lone  enthusiasts  have  cried :  "  We  must  sell  through 
co-operation."  Today  people  are  actually  co-operating 
in  selling  and  preparing  to  do  so  on  a  scale  undreamed 
of  previous  to  the  World  War. 

Even  a  quarter  of  a  year  makes  changes  in  the  field 


THE  MASTER  AS  COMMUNITY  LEADER      61 

which  the  Grange  looks  out  upon.  Grange  officers  may 
be  toiling  over  their  work,  or  managing  the  delicate 
mechanism  of  homes,  so  busy  and  so  weary  with  bodily 
fatigue  that  it  is  an  effort  to  look  beyond  daily  duties, 
yet,  if  they  are  to  fit  Grange  work  to  farm  needs  as  a 
glove  is  fitted  to  the  hand,  they  must  not  wholly  forget 
that  changes  are  constantly  taking  place.  It  is  the 
province  of  the  Master,  with  finger  on  the  pulse  of  farm 
life,  to  note  this  swift,  quiet  evolution  and  attempt  to 
adapt  his  Grange  to  it.  Indeed,  it  must  be  done,  or  the 
Grange  will  soon  be  switched  on  the  side-track  of  out- 
of-dateness.  This  is  as  true  of  the  small  Subordinate 
Grange  as  of  the  Pomona,  State,  or  National. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  MASTEE  AND  HIS  CO-WORKERS 

The  Grange  is  manned  by  thirteen  officers.  At  the  head 
is  the  Master,  but  his  success,  however  competent  he 
may  be,  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  zeal  and  efficiency 
of  his  twelve  associate  officers.  To  inspire  them,  and 
then  to  co-ordinate  their  willingness  to  make  the  Grange 
forge  ahead,  devolves  mainly  upon  the  Master.  His 
relations  with  them  should  be  cordial  and  his  mind  open 
to  suggestion  as  how  to  improve  the  meetings  and  widen 
the  influence  of  the  Grange. 

ORGANIZING  ALL,  FORCES  FOB  EFFICIENCY 

The  Master  must  appreciate  that  he  and  his  associ- 
ate officers  cannot  do  their  best  unless  they  have  con- 
fidence in  one  another.  Confidence  comes  from  friendly 
acquaintance.  When  people  come  to  know  one  another 
they  are  wont  to  find  that  most  faults  of  personality  are 
overshadowed  by  likable  qualities ;  therefore  get-together 
meetings  among  leaders  to  discuss  ways  and  means  of 
progress  is  one  of  the  surest  methods  of  building  up  a 
strong  Grange.  Again,  people  are  variously  gifted. 
Close  acquaintance  leads  to  the  possibility  of  sifting  out 
those  who  have  executive  ability  and  organizing  power 
and  promoting  them  to  positions  of  leadership ;  for  the 
sign  of  a  capable  Master  is  the  amount  of  good  work  he 

62 


THE  MASTER  AND  HIS  CO-WORKERS       63 

gets  others  to  do, — often  a  harder  task  than  doing  it 
himself.  "  He  who  does  the  work  is  not  so  productively 
employed  as  'he  who  multiplies  the  doers." 

Conferevor  0j  officers. — The  new  Master  of  one  Sub- 
ordinate Grange  J:hat  had  "  run  down  at  the  heel  "  used 
frequent  conferences  of  officers  as  one  means  of  rebuild- 
ing it.  Once  or  twice  they  had  a  special  get-together 
evening.  At  another  time  they  were  seated  by  them- 
selves at  a  table  during  the  Grange  dinner.  On  these 
occasions  the  Master  directed  the  conversation,  so  far  as 
possible,  to  ways  and  means  of  making  a  better  and 
bigger  Grange.  Occasionally  the  Master  called  a  brief 
conference  at  one  side  with  the  Steward,  Overseer,  and 
Gatekeeper  to  plan  for  strengthening  the  ritual  work  at 
the  entrance  to  the  hall;  again,  the  Chaplain  was  con- 
sulted in  preparation  for  a  special  Chaplain's  program ; 
and  regularly  the  Lecturer  and  Master  met  to  block  out 
the  program  for  the  coming  three  months.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  each  year  the  Master  and  Secretary  prepared 
a  letter  of  greeting  to  each  member  on  the  roll  book.  In 
this  letter  the  achievements  of  the  previous  year  were 
enumerated,  hopes  for  the  coming  year  were  sketched, 
and  the  letter  concluded  with  a  personal  appeal  for  the 
assistance  of  everyone.  Once  a  year  the  Master,  Secre- 
tary, and  Treasurer  met  with  the  finance  committee  to 
audit  the  books.  Although  most  informal  in  character 
and  held  at  irregular  intervals,  such  personal  consulta- 
tions worked  wonders  in  welding  the  officers  into  a  force 
that  did  remarkable  team  work.  Where  there  is  such 
mutual  confidence  this  kind  of  co-operation  one  with 
another,  partnership  within  an  official  Grange  family 


64  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

becomes    a    power    that    must    attain    splendid    re- 
sults. 

Enlisting  young  people. — Whether  the  Master  pos- 
sesses or  lacks  what  I  have  elsewhere  termed  Grange 
vision  is  most  clearly  shown,  perhaps,  in  his  attitude 
toward  the  young  people  of  the  neighborhood.  In  the 
long  run  a  Grange  lives  or  dies  by  its  young  people.' 
Widely  varying  reports  touching  this  aspect  of  Grange 
work  have  been  received  within  the  course  of  a  short 
time.  The  following  extracts  show  the  tenor  of  many 
other  letters : 

Our  meetings  are  very  pleasant  from  a  social  stand- 
point, the  Grange  being  mostly  composed  of  young  people. 

Our  membership  is  made  up  mostly  of  young  people, 
with  just  enough  older  ones  for  balance. 

Our  Grange  is  composed  entirely  of  old  people ;  we  have 
not  a  young  person,  but  very  few  under  fifty  years  of  age, 
and  from  that  up  to  eighty.  We  have  an  old  rickety  organ, 
but  no  one  to  sing,  for  old  people  cannot  sing. 

These  suffice  to  illustrate  three  classes  of  Granges — 
the  entirely  "  young,"  the  "  mixed,"  and  the  "  old  " — 
that  is,  when  we  classify  Granges  by  the  ages  in  years 
of  their  members.  And  yet  when  I  read  the  letter  con- 
taining the  last  quotation  there  flashed  into  my  mind 
the  saying  of  one  white-haired  "  boy  "  who  exclaimed : 
"  We  are  never  old  so  long  as  our  hearts  are  young! ': 
And  the  voice  of  a  man  in  my  own  Grange  who  says  he 
is  in  his  seventy-sixth  year  by  the  calendar,  but  who 
responds  frequently  to  a  call  for  a  Scotch  ballad !  And 
the  deep  wrinkles  in  the  face  of  that  farmer  with  the 


THE  MASTER  AND  HIS  CO-WORKERS       65 

stoop  in  his  shoulders  who  exclaimed:  "  I  am  just  be- 
ginning to  learn !  "  And  the  rollicking  Virginia  reel 
danced  by  feet  that  will  ne'er  pass  the  fiftieth  mile- 
stone again !  Oh,  our  classification  is  wrong,  all  wrong, 
when  we  begin  to  divide  Grange  membership  according 
to  age  by  years !  The  thing  to  do  is  to  find  the  kernel 
of  youth  in  the  heart  of  every  man  or  woman,  and 
treat  all  as  young  people.  All  are  young  people  whose 
"  tents  are  pitched  toward  the  sunrise," 

For  age  is  opportunity  no  less 

Than  youth  itself,  though  in  another  dress. 

Among  the  multitude  of  things  said  about  saving  the 
boys  and  girls  for  country  life,  nowhere  has  there  been 
reported  a  better  bit  of  conversation  than  that  described 
by  a  correspondent  in  a  small  Grange.    She  writes : 

Our  young  people  have  organized  a  club  where  they  meet 
once  a  month  and  have  a  dancing  party.  The  older  mem- 
bers also  belong.  No  one  is  allowed  at  this  party  without 
the  Grange  password,  or  an  invitation  card  signed  by  the 
one  who  gave  it,  therefore  no  undesirables  are  allowed  to 
enter  the  outside  door.  The  young  people  have  their  own 
music,  and  the  mothers  and  fathers  of  these  girls  and  boys 
are  all  there  and  join  with  them.  Prof. of  the  Uni- 
versity, who  was  here  to  lecture  for  us,  attended  one  of  these 
parties,  and  thought  it  the  finest  company  of  young  people 
he  had  met,  gave  a  little  talk  to  them,  and  said  he  wished 
the  churches  would  adopt  such  a  plan  of  bringing  the  young 
people  together  in  a  social  way. 

Here,  certainly,  is  a  sane  way  for  a  Grange  to  lead 
the  social  life  of  its  neighborhood  and  conserve  its  most 


66  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

precious  assets.  Besides  the  parties,  these  young  people 
have  a  degree  team  which  is  being  coached  by  an  ex- 
soldier,  and  in  which  they  are  receiving  fine  drilling. 
They  have  also  organized  an  orchestra,  and  are  prepar- 
ing to  give  a  play.  Can  anybody  imagine  that  boys  and 
girls  in  such  a  place  find  country  life  "  poky  "  or  "  lone- 
some "  ?  Here,  to,  are  older  people  who  are  taking 
thought  to  save  their  young  people. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  former  Master  1ST.  P.  Hull 
of  Michigan  State  Grange  presented  his  application  for 
membership  in  the  Grange  upon  his  fourteenth  birth- 
day and  advanced  steadily  to  the  office  of  Lecturer  of 
National  Grange.  This  merely  tends  to  call  attention 
to  the  possibilities  that  the  Grange  faces  in  the  young 
people  of  rural  neighborhoods. 

Placing  responsibility. — The  Master  who  seeks  to  de- 
velop his  Grange  from  within  is  constantly  seeking  to 
assign  varied  tasks  to  his  members,  and  to  encourage  his 
co-officers  to  do  the  same  as  they  may  find  occasion 
along  their  respective  lines.  A  tribute  to  this  sort  of 
tactful  management  came  to  the  writer's  attention  sev- 
eral years  ago,  and  affords  a  glowing  illustration  of 
how  officers  may  hold  and  train  their  young  people.  A 
member  of  the  Order  from  Pennsylvania,  while  talking 
of  Grange  influence,  exclaimed :  "  One  thing  I  think  a 
Grange  should  do  above  all  others  is  to  give  its  young 
people  responsibility !  "  Encouraged  to  tell  the  story  of 
his  membership  in  a  Grange  where  this  was  practised, 
he  continued :  "  My  application  for  membership  in  the 
Grange  was  presented  even  before  I  was  quite  old 
enough  and,  when  I  was  admitted,  I  was  a  happy  lad. 


THE  MASTER  AND  HIS  CO-WORKERS       67 

At  the  first  election  after  my  admission,  I  was  made 
Gatekeeper,  an  office  where  my  youthfulness  could  do 
no  special  harm  but  where  the  honor  did  spur  me  to  do 
my  very  best.  I  committed  to  memory  my  part  in  the 
ritual,  and  filled  my  office  with  the  dignity  which  pride 
in  my  position  inspired  in  me.  I  insisted  that  everyone 
passing  the  doors  should  do  so  properly,  and  in  that  way 
added  my  mite  to  the  correct  conduct  of  the  Grange.  At 
the  next  election  the  members  kindly  made  me  Steward, 
and  here  again,  honored  by  advancement,  I  was  stirred 
to  learn  and  profit  by  the  enlarged  field  of  usefulness. 
From  Steward,  as  the  years  passed,  I  was  gradually  pro- 
moted to  the  offices  of  Overseer,  Secretary,  and  Master, 
then  went  back  to  Steward  again.  In  all  these  positions 
of  trust  I  was  made  to  feel  that  I  had  the  support  of  the 
older  members,  who  stood  ready  to  guide  me  in  places 
where  I  was  not  equal  to  the  situation.  Responsibility 
was  put  upon  other  young  people  in  a  similar  way  and 
it  was  an  invaluable  training  for  us  all.  I  shall  never 
forget,  either,  the  classes  we  boys  had  in  different  farm 
lines.  The  Lecturer  divided  us  into  groups  according  to 
our  choice  of  crops,  as  corn,  wheat,  oats,  potatoes,  etc. ; 
at  other  times  according  to  our  choice  of  farm  animals, 
horses,  cows,  sheep,  etc.  We  had  a  very  large  body  of 
young  people  in  that  Grange,  which  fact  allowed  for 
several  groups,  each  with  a  leader.  At  each  meeting  we 
boys  reported  to  our  leaders  what  we  had  done  since  our 
last  meeting.  We  kept  accounts  of  the  work,  feed,  seed, 
cultivation,  and  care  of  our  various  undertakings.  At 
the  end  of  the  season  our  reports  were  made  to  the 
Grange  and  then  placed  on  file  with  the  Secretary.     I 


68  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

mean  to  go  back  up  among  the  Pennsylvania  hills  some 
day,  and  see  those  records  again  that  we  boys  made 
years  ago,  for  they  are  preserved  among  the  treasured 
papers  of  that  Grange." 

"  Lack  of  local  leadership  among  our  young  people 
seems  to  be  the  insurmountable  barrier !  "  despairingly 
exclaims  more  than  one  worker  who  has  failed  to  get 
young  people  enlisted  in  movements  for  their  own  bet- 
terment. These  young  people  want  to  enlist,  but  they 
do  not  know  how.  They  lack  initiative.  Let  us  can- 
didly ask,  why  should  one  expect  to  find  leaders  among 
these  young  people  ?  Have  they  ever  been  put  in  places 
where  they  had  to  lead  and  where  others  depended  upon 
them  ?  Where  they  received  credit  if  they  made  good  ? 
Where  there  was  an  increasing  demand  for  them  to 
try  their  mettle  in  the  way  of  bearing  responsibility? 
Let  us  suppose  that  there  is  a  Grange  in  the  community 
where  these  young  people  live.  That  is  generally  looked 
upon  as  a  developer  of  leadership.  Are  these  young 
people  members?  If  they  have  ever  been,  have  they 
stayed  by  the  Grange,  or  dropped  out  ?  If  they  dropped 
out,  why  did  they  do  so?  While  they  remained,  were 
they  kept  busy,  or  were  older  persons,  who  would  not 
miss  a  Grange  meeting  under  any  condition,  elected  to 
all  the  offices?  When  the  program  hour  came,  were 
these  boys  and  girls  called  upon  to  give  their  opinions 
upon  any  subject,  from  the  raising  of  calves  and  colts 
to  the  relative  merits  of  local  ball  teams  ?  Were  they  in 
any  way  referred  to  as  authorities  on  dates  of  important 
events,  or  asked  to  serve  the  refreshments,  or  consulted 
in  the  lining  up  of  the  debating  team  or  in  the  selec- 


THE  MASTER  AND  HIS  CO-WORKERS       69 

tion  of  seed  corn  ?  Were  they  put  in  charge  of  a  picnic 
committee,  or  a  supper,  or  a  portion  of  the  lecture  hour, 
or  any  enterprise  proposed  for  the  Grange  ?  Were  they 
asked  to  suggest  bright,  new  plans  for  the  Grange  now 
and  then  ?  Or,  instead  of  this,  were  older  men  and 
women  called  upon  exclusively,  perhaps  because  the 
young  people  held  back  the  first  time  they  were  asked 
and  did  not  seek  the  privilege  for  themselves  later  ?  Far 
be  it  from  me  to  intimate  that  all  Masters  ignore  or 
fail  to  study  how  to  draw  their  young  people  into  the 
activities  of  their  Granges,  but  the  remark  quoted  above 
together  with  similar  things  seen  and  heard  during  a 
long  connection  with  rural  associations,  lead  me  to  ask 
the  question,  Is  not  that  a  delightful,  though  unusual, 
spirit  in  older  people  which  rejoices  to  share  with  youth 
those  exercises  and  duties  that  develop  men  and  women 
of  accountability  and  capability? 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  MASTER  AND  THE  JUVENILES 

Why  is  it  that  people  do  not  oftener  act  in  the  Grange 
upon  the  well-known  fact  that  childhood  is  by  far  the 
most  plastic  period  ?  They  often  strive  and  struggle  to 
bring  and  hold  together  a  body  of  grown  people,  whose 
habits  of  life  and  thought  are  fairly  fixed,  while  a  child- 
dren's  movement,  which  would  mean  the  greatest  sort  of 
progress,  might  be  set  on  foot  with  a  quarter  of  the 
effort  ?  The  Master  of  a  weak  Grange  worries  along  for 
a  number  of  years  pessimistically  urging  the  members 
to  take  a  livelier  interest.  During  the  same  years,  with 
a  fraction  of  the  worry,  the  children  might  have  been 
gathered  under  the  oversight  of  a  child-loving  adult  and 
trained  for  later  co-operation  in  the  Subordinate  Grange. 
Scores  of  neighborhoods  offer  no  finer,  more  inviting 
opportunity  than  this  through  which  to  do  a  really  fine 
rural  work. 

Children  may  be  given  a  share  in  the  program  hour 
of  the  Subordinate  Grange;  or  they  may  be  organized 
into  a  Juvenile  Grange  according  to  plans  provided  by 
the  National  Grange.  Four  requisites  are  necessary  to 
bring  the  Juvenile  Grange  into  successful  operation: 
(1)  A  Matron  who  loves  children  and  is  willing  to 
give  time  and  exercise  tact  in  leading  them;  (2)  A 
dozen  or  more  children  under  fourteen  years  of  age 

70 


THE  MASTER  AND  THE  JUVENILES        71 

whose  parents  are  either  members  or  eligible  to  member- 
ship in  a  Subordinate  Grange;  (3)  A  place  to  meet. 
This  may  be  in  the  same  building  as  the  Grange  hall 
or  elsewhere.  If  there  are  two  rooms  available  it  is 
preferable  that  the  two  meetings  be  held  at  the  same 
time;  (4)  A  set  of  Juvenile  rituals,  costing  $2.75,  to 
be  had  of  the  National  Grange  Secretary.  There  is  no 
question  of  the  value  of  a  Juvenile  Grange  in  itself; 
besides,  it  is  a  material  aid  to  the  Subordinate  Grange 
under  whose  jurisdiction  it  exists.  In  Ohio  there  is 
such  obvious  connection  between  active  Juvenile  Granges 
and  the  steadily  increasing  Subordinate  Grange  mem- 
bership as  to  furnish  convincing  testimony  of  the  assist- 
ance the  Juvenile  is  to  the  Subordinate.  Moreover,  a 
Juvenile  organization  strengthens  community  influences 
since  the  children  are  gradually  accustomed  to  taking 
responsibility  when  they  enter  any  senior  associations 
that  may  exist  in  the  neighborhood. 

Children  in  Juvenile  Granges  take  up  in  their  pro- 
grams all  those  subjects  which  children  everywhere  like 
to  investigate.  They  sometimes  join  with  the  elders  in 
their  program;  they  sometimes  have  their  meeting  en- 
tirely by  itself.  The  main  thing,  and  often  the  difficult 
thing,  is  to  find  a  suitable  Matron.  Unless  the  Matron 
has  tact  and  wisdom  in  associating  with  children  a 
Juvenile  Grange  will  not  amount  to  very  much  in  real 
discipline  and  valuable  training;  but  when  such  a 
woman  (or  man,  for  the  longest  term  of  Juvenile 
"  Matronship  "  in  Michigan  has  been  held  by  a  young 
man)  is  found,  then  the  organization  becomes  a  power 
for  growth  in  serious  ways,  as  well  as  an  entertainment. 


72  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

The  relative  value  of  the  Juvenile  to  the  Grange  move- 
ment is  greater  than  most  Masters  realize.  The  chil- 
dren of  Juvenile  Granges  induce  their  parents  to  go  to 
Grange  in  order  that  they  may  attend;  by  taking  in 
children  of  parents  who  do  not  belong  to  the  Subordinate 
Grange  but  who  are  eligible  for  membership,  the  senior 
Grange  often  secures  new  members  that  it  would  not 
otherwise  reach.  All  these  children  are  well  prepared 
to  take  a  capable  part  when  they  are  old  enough  to 
join  the  Grange  proper  and  should  be  encouraged  to 
pass  at  once  into  it  at  fourteen  years  of  age. 

A  CHILD  SHALL  LEAD 

There  are  important  reasons  why  the  Grange  can  well 
afford  to  give  much  attention  to  the  Juvenile  organiza- 
tion; not  only  to  replenish  its  own  membership,  but  also 
because  the  trend  of  social  development  is  toward  the 
child.  On  every  hand  child  welfare  is  receiving  in- 
creased attention.  This  is  evident  in  the  effort  to  fit  the 
school  to  the  real  needs  of  the  child;  to  secure  such 
treatment  of  juvenile  offenders  of  the  law  that,  in  the 
reforming  process,  he  shall  not  become  thrice  contami- 
nated by  vice;  and  to  enlist  parents  in  such  study  of 
child  nature  as  has  never  before  been  known.  A  physi- 
cian who  has  given  this  matter  some  thought  says: 
"  This  is  a  child's  age.  Our  predecessors  seemed  to 
think  the  child  period  one  to  pay  little  attention  to  and 
to  hasten  over.  Gods  and  goddesses  were  hurled  into 
existence  full  blown  and  developed — not  embarrassed  by 
childish  reminiscences.  But  the  Great  Leader  saw  dif- 
ferently when  He  said:  'Except  ye  become  as  little 


THE  MASTER  AND  THE  JUVENILES        73 

children  ye  cannot  enter  in.'  "  The  force  of  this  last 
familiar  quotation  is  increasing  everywhere;  therefore, 
as  one  of  the  great  means  at  work  to  lead  the  world  to 
better  things,  the  Grange  has  a  responsibility  in  this 
direction  which  it  can  scarcely  escape.  It  is  no  vague 
part,  either ;  the  Grange's  specific  usefulness  is  to  assist 
in  making  life  more  attractive  and  more  worth  while  to 
country  people.  That  is  a  plain,  practical  proposition, 
one  that  includes  the  entire  farm  family.  Unless  boys 
and  girls  are  socially  satisfied  and  get  the  training  that 
fits  them  for  coping  on  fair  terms  with  other  people,  as 
they  grow  up  they  will  continue  to  leave  the  country 
for  the  city.  In  other  words,  if  urban  organizations  are 
giving  more  thoughtful  attention  to  the  development  of 
child  life,  rural  organizations  must  do  the  same — or 
lose  their  children  when  grown.  Because  of  changes 
in  country  conditions  themselves  and  because  of  changes 
in  public  sentiment  toward  rural  life,  both  of  which 
have  followed  the  World  War,  this  problem  of  the  chil- 
dren challenges  the  leaders  of  every  farm  organization. 
But  to  the  Grange  it  makes  an  especial  appeal  because 
that  organization  already  has  its  plan  for  forming  Ju- 
venile Granges. 

A    CONSTRUCTIVE   FOBCE 

The  steady,  definite  training  that  has  gone  on  in  some 
neighborhoods  year  after  year  through  the  agency  of 
the  Juvenile  Grange  is  an  example  that  should  be  dupli- 
cated in  many  others.  The  ritual  and  the  simple  busi- 
ness forms  necessary  to  carry  on  a  regular  organiza- 
tion in  themselves  afford  children  training  above  what 


74  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

they  get  when  left  to  their  own  undirected  resources. 
Contests  for  members,  short  plays  given  before  the 
larger  Grange,  dialogues,  conferring  degrees,  and  outdoor 
tramps  lead  the  children  delightfully  to  many  things 
that  knit  them  together  in  good  comradeship  and  will 
stand  them  well  in  hand  when  they  assume  a  larger  role 
in  affairs  of  the  community.  In  some  cases  the  Ju- 
venile Grange  becomes  the  basis  for  a  Boys'  and  Girls' 
Club  under  joint  direction  of  Juvenile  Matron  and 
County  Club  leader. 

Here  is  a  subject  worthy  of  a  Grange  Master's  best 
thought,  more  momentous  than  taxes,  tariff,  collective 
bargains,  or  government  ownership — important  as  these 
measures  doubtless  are — for  it  touches  the  most  vital 
concern  among  us — rural  childhood. 


CHAPTER  V 

DETAILS  THAT   SPELL  A  MASTER'S   SUCCESS 

OR  FAILURE 

GOOD  GRANGE  HABITS 

If  a  Master  steers  his  course  by  a  few  simple  principles 
at  the  start  he  is  likely  to  reach  the  goal.  One  of  these 
principles  is  that  of  closing  in  time  to  enable  members 
to  reach  their  homes  not  later  than  midnight.  No  farm 
family  can  profitably  endure  the  strain  of  late  hours 
for  a  series  of  years.  A  Grange  should  plan  to  be  a 
constructive  rather  than  a  destructive  force  in  even  the 
physical  life  of  its  members.  And  to  close  on  time  it 
is  necessary  to  begin  on  time.  Let  the  Master  be  honest 
and  do  a  little  self-searching.  Although  members  live 
on  farms  and  have  a  multitude  of  duties,  is  that  suffi- 
cient excuse  for  being  unbusinesslike?  Is  not  what  is 
worth  doing  at  all  worth  doing  well  ?  If  we  must  take 
a  train,  do  we  not  make  it  on  the  time  scheduled  by  the 
railroad  ?  If  we  attend  church,  do  we  expect  the  minister 
to  wait  until  the  people  are  assembled?  Are  schools 
held  open  until  the  children  have  drifted  in  from  our 
various  homes?  When  we  wish  to  enjoy  a  lecture  or 
play,  do  we  not  expect  to  miss  a  portion  if  we  arrive 
late  ?  Did  you  ever  protest  when,  upon  descending  to 
the  hotel  dining  room  for  an  early  breakfast,  you  were 
met  with  the  excuse :  "  The  girls  didn't  wake  up  and 

75 


I 


76  THE  GEANGE  MASTEE 

breakfast  is  not  ready  "  %  Why  then,  if  railroad  em- 
ployees, hotel  girls,  teachers,  ministers,  and  business 
men  must  be  on  time  in  order  to  insure  successful  enter- 
prises, should  the  Grange  expect  to  succeed  on  a  differ- 
ent basis.  Business  is  business,  and  the  life  of  business 
is  promptness.  Business  brooks  no  excuses.  It  is  not 
always  easy  to  meet  its  demands.  No  one  is  guiltless  of 
an  occasional  lapse,  but  a  Master  may  well  strain  a  point 
to  encourage  promptness.  Among  the  suggestions,  made 
at  conferences  held  to  discuss  details  of  success  in 
Grange  work,  are  the  following: 

1.  Adopt  the  "  8-9-10  plan  " :  that  is,  call  at  8 :  00  p.m.  ; 
begin  program  at  9 :  00 ;  and  close  at  10 :  00.  This  leaves  it 
optional  with  members  to  remain  for  social  features. 

2.  Begin  on  time,  even  if  one  person  must  fill  three 
offices. 

3.  Proceed  with  everything  connected  with  a  regular 
meeting,  except  actual  business  transactions,  when  a  quorum 
is  not  present. 

4.  Practise  entering  the  Grange  in  due  form  in  order 
to  teach  members  how  to  enter  should  they  chance  to  arrive 
late. 

'Another  fundamental  habit  necessary  to  success  is 
observance  of  the  lecture  hour  at  every  meeting.  The 
order  of  business  calls  for  it,  and  the  Lecturer  has  been 
seriously  enjoined  to  prepare  for  it.  The  members 
may  easily  be  led  to  understand  from  the  outset  that 
each  one  will  be  expected  to  contribute  toward  the  pro- 
gram when  asked  to  do  so ;  few  will  refuse  or  fail  if  the 
sentiment  of  the  Grange  as  a  whole  is  one  of  expectation 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE         77 

that  everyone  will  respond.  It  is  a  matter  of  habit, — 
habit  of  the  ,Grange  quite  as  much  as  of  individuals. 
The  Master  has  very  much  to  do  with  maintaining  this 
habit. 

Hand  in  hand  with  the  above  should  go  that  other 
very  important  habit  of  expecting  that  every  lecture 
hour  will  furnish  matter  for  serious  consideration  as 
well  as  humorous  and  entertaining  features.  Granges 
lose  immeasurably  that  do  not  establish  this  custom 
early  in  their  careers. 

The  practice  of  dispatching  business  by  asisgning  very 
much  of  it  to  committees,  before  it  is  brought  before  the 
Grange  for  final  action,  is  another  excellent  habit  that 
is  better  learned  early  than  by  long  or  sorry  experience. 

BAD  GEANGE  HABITS 

In  addition  to  good  Grange  habits  a  Master  may  well 
keep  in  mind  certain  habits  that  lead  to  disaster  if 
allowed  to  gain  foothold.  These,  if  recognized  as  unde- 
sirable, he  may  quietly  endeavor  to  eliminate.  Time 
runs  to  waste  when  the  following  undesirable  traits 
persist : 

1.  When  the  Grange  is  not  called  to  order  on  time  be- 
cause an  officer  or  a  leading  person  is  not  present. 

2.  When  the  Stewards  distribute  song  books,  badges, 
etc.,  after  the  gavel  has  fallen  instead  of  before. 

3.  When  the  Chorister  selects  songs  after  they  are  called 
for. 

4.  When  the  Secretary  shuffles  his  papers  over  or  stops 
to  write  a  receipt  after  the  order  of  reading  the  minutes  is 
reached. 


78  THE  GEANGE  MASTEK 

5.  When  a  committee  audits  a  bill  or  passes  on  an  ap- 
plication for  membership  after  reports  of  committees  are 
called  for. 

6.  When  business  that  might  be  referred  to  committees  is 
transacted  by  the  Grange,  especially  with  prolonged  dis- 
cussion. 

7.  When  members  speak  upon  questions  that  have  not 
been  properly  brought  before  the  Grange  by  motions. 

8.  When  a  Grange  waits  while  the  paraphernalia  and 
decorations  are  gathered  and  prepared  for  initiation. 

9.  When  members  are  allowed  to  wander  in  discussion 
during  the  lecture  hour. 

10.  When  the  closing  of  the  Grange  is  hindered  by  the 
introduction  of  matters  foreign  to  the  occasion. 

Good  executive  ability  aims  to  cut  out  these  wastes 
of  time.  The  Master  cannot  always  direct  the  transac- 
tion of  Grange  business  so  as  to  keep  entirely  clear  of 
them,  but  if  he  is  foresighted  enough  he  may  succeed 
in  avoiding  many  of  these  delays.  If  fifty  people  wait 
for  one  person,  the  time  lost  is  multiplied  by  fifty  and 
it  is  usually  a  dead  loss.  An  efficient  executive  officer 
directs  instead  of  caring  for  details  himself.  He  thus 
has  a  half  dozen  lines  of  preparation  going  on  at  once. 
He  is  also  quick  to  rearrange  his  plans  and  transact 
business  that  is  ready  even  if  he  cannot  take  it  up  in 
regular  order. 

The  loss  by  such  wastes  as  enumerated  above  is  in- 
creased many  fold  when  they  occur  in  a  Pomona  Grange. 
Pomona  meets  but  seldom,  and  most  of  its  members  at- 
tend by  considerable  sacrifice  of  time,  means,  and  effort. 
They  should  receive  such  adequate  return  as  will  make 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE         79 

them  feel  the  gainers.  Business  transactions,  workers' 
conference,  dinner,  and  program  should  each  be  dis- 
patched as  quickly  as  is  consistent  with  its  importance. 
There  are  other  habits  involved  in  the  success  or  fail- 
ure of  a  Grange  which  are  due  to  a  natural  human  tend- 
ency to  drift.  While  these  habits  depend  mainly  for 
remedy  upon  the  individual  members,  still  here,  too,  the 
Master  may  wield  a  great  influence  if  he  sees  their  dan- 
ger and  guards  against  it  by  his  own  cheery  admonition 
and  example.  For  instance,  if  Mary  says :  "  Come,  let 
us  go  to  Grange,"  John  follows  the  line  of  least  resist- 
ance and  replies :  "  Oh,  it's  goin'  to  rain,"  "  Koads  are 
too  rough,"  or,  "  I  don't  feel  like  it."  This  same  line 
of  least  resistance  is  also  followed  by  others: 

Failing  to  plan  ahead  so  as  to  be  able  to  attend  Grange 
regularly. 

Getting  so  interested  in  or  so  tied  to  one's  work  as  to 
fail  to  stop  an  hour  early  and  go  to  the  meeting  in  comfort 
and  on  time. 

Sitting  around  in  idle  talk  when  attendance  is  light,  in- 
stead of  calling  to  order  and  at  least  making  the  talk 
profitable,  thus  placing  the  Grange  on  record  as  observing 
its  dates. 

Opening  without  form  because  the  regular  officers  are 
absent,  instead  of  dividing  up  the  parts  and  making  the 
Grange  qualified  to  meet  emergencies  with  credit. 

Receiving  members  simply  by  obligation  instead  of  the 
full  initiatory  exercises,  thereby  giving  them  an  impression 
of  carelessness  in  the  society  they  are  joining. 

Letting  the  work  shift  along  without  emblems  and  para- 
phernalia to  exemplify  its  details  and  finer  meanings. 


80  THE  GBANGE  MASTEE 

Neglecting  to  collect  fresh  grains  and  grasses  for  decora- 
tions in  degree  work. 

Not  taking  thought  to  pick  a  handful  of  flowers,  bright 
leaves,  or  a  plate  of  fruit  with  which  to  increase  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  place  of  meeting  and  later  to  send  to  the 
sick  or  absent. 

Failing  to  carry  to  the  meeting  some  object  of  interest — 
a  picture,  or  model,  or  article  of  convenience,  or  plant,  or 
anything  that  can  be  taken  to  illustrate  the  topic  under  dis- 
cussion for  the  day. 

Taking  no  notice  of  the  absence  of  members  detained  by 
sickness  or  emergencies,  but  allowing  it  to  be  inferred  that 
they  were  not  missed. 

Talking  to  kill  time  during  the  program,  when  a  little 
more  mental  activity  or  previous  preparation  would  really 
produce  something  worth  while. 

Taking  more  than  one's  fair  share  in  the  discussions 
when,  perhaps,  the  walls  are  lined  with  people  who,  by  a 
tactful  question  or  word  of  encouragement  from  the  pro- 
ficient, might  be  induced  to  make  a  maiden  effort  and  gain 
a  little  more  power  in  expressing  themselves. 

Letting  the  program  hour  go  by  default  altogether,  rather 
than  exerting  oneself  to  volunteer  quietly  to  the  Lecturer 
that  you  are  willing  to  read,  sing,  recite,  or  start  a  dis- 
cussion. 

Shaking  one's  head  when  roll  is  called  and  each  member 
is  expected  to  respond  with  some  fact  from  his  experi- 
ence or  quotation  from  his  reading. 

Giving  no  sign  or  word  of  appreciation  when  some  bash- 
ful or  slightly  educated  person  makes  a  brave  attempt  on  the 
program. 

Going  to  Grange  with  home  cares  or  work  weariness  ready 
to  be  tapped  by  every  greeting  of  other  members,  instead  of 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE        81 

throwing  them  into  the  background  of  thought  and  exerting 
oneself  to  make  it  a  happy  occasion  for  others. 

AVOID   KUTS 

Of  all  fallacious  notions  to  hug  to  oneself,  perhaps  the 
most  weakening  is  that  which  whines :  "  It  can't  be 
done  because  it  never  has  been  done."  One  meets  this 
sort  of  sentiment  in  regard  to  Grange  work  often.  Not 
that  it  is  peculiar  to  the  Grange  as  an  organization, 
for  it  is  not;  yet  it  seems  to  be  a  trait  sufficiently 
peculiar  to  some  individuals  and  to  some  Granges  to 
warrant  a  danger  signal.  Many  a  weak  Grange  would 
grow  strong  and  vigorous  if  it  would  slough  off  this 
deadening  weight.  Many  a  Master  would  walk  into 
sturdy  leadership  if  he  would  say,  "  Behind  me, 
Satan !  "  to  every  temptation  to  think  that  new  plans 
will  not  succeed  in  his  Grange  simply  because  they  have 
never  been  tried  there.  Not  all  new  plans  are  wise  for 
everyone,  by  any  means.  The  point  is,  none  should  be 
rejected  on  account  of  its  being  new. 

There  are  some  little  verses  which  are  deservedly 
familiar  because  they  express  this  valuable  precept  most 
aptly.  Every  Master  may  well  paste  this  fragment  of 
them  in  his  hat — or  on  her  mirror: 

Somebody  said  that  it  couldn't  be  done 

But  he,  with  a  chuckle,  replied 
That  "  Maybe  it  couldn't,"  but  he  would  be  one 

Who  wouldn't  say  so  till  he'd  tried. 
So  he  buckled  right  in  with  the  trace  of  a  grin 

On  his  face.    If  he  worried.,  he  hid  it. 


80  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

He  started  to  sing  as  he  tackled  the  thing 
That  couldn't  be  done,  and  he  did  it. 

EFFECTIVE   ADVERTISING 

One  cannot  fail  to  recognize  that  advertising  pays. 
Strange  that  when  so  much  is  credited  to  the  press, 
many  a  weak  Grange  neglects  to  avail  itself  of  this 
power.  I  once  sat  at  the  table  of  a  prominent  farmer 
who  turned  to  me  and  said :  "  After  all,  the  Grange  has 
never  done  very  much,  now  has  it  ?  "  Apparently  he 
asked  the  question  in  good  faith.  Upon  inquiry  about 
the  neighborhood  I  found  that  the  local  Grange  was  one 
that  held  its  charter,  it  is  true;  that  is,  it  paid  dues 
to  State  Grange.  But  it  was  easy  to  surmise  that  its 
hall  was  dingy,  the  stairs  leading  to  it  unswept,  and  the 
lamps  smoky;  that  the  gavel  fell  late,  half  the  officers 
were  usually  absent,  the  program  mostly  "  picked  up  " 
at  the  meeting,  and  that  business  invariably  dragged 
without  snap  or  life.  Members  do  not  go  about  talking 
enthusiastically  of  such  a  Grange;  and  no  wonder  an 
outsider,  even  though  he  be  an  intelligent  farmer  and 
eligible  to  membership,  takes  it  for  granted  that  there 
is  nothing  being  done  by  the  Grange  at  large.  No 
Master  takes  pride  in  such  a  Grange,  although  he  may 
not  know  how  to  remedy  it ;  he  needs  training. 

The  right  kind  of  reports  sent  to  the  local  paper  can 
do  much  to  remedy  such  a  state  of  affairs  as  the  one 
described.  It  is  not  difficult  to  find  Granges  that  owe 
a  large  part  of  their  steady  growth  to  the  carefully 
worded  press  notices  which  some  member  has  furnished. 
These  notices  were  not  false  reports  that  gave  misleading 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE        83 

or  exaggerated  records,  but  they  were  appreciative  ac- 
counts which  encouraged  faithful  members  and  at- 
tracted outsiders.  Who  would  not  wish  to  hold  member- 
ship in  a  society  that  has  a  reputation  for  abounding 
good  fellowship,  thoroughly  jolly  times,  and  gives  valu- 
able information  to  boot?  A  good  system  of  press  re- 
porting goes  far  toward  creating  such  an  organization 
out  of  any  membership. 

A  Grange  report  which  came  to  my  desk  illustrates 
what  can  be  done.  It  occupied  fifteen  inches  of  space 
in  a  local  paper,  and  began  in  this  fashion: 

"Henry,  why  the  dickens  didn't  you  come  down  to 
Grange  Saturday  night?  Surely  the  weather  didn't  keep 
you  inside  ?  " 

"  No,  that  wasn't  it.  I  was  over  helping  Andrew  all  the 
afternoon  and  I  got  home  late  and " 

"  Oh,  pshaw !  I  was  working  all  the  afternoon,  too,  and 
had  to  hustle  some  to  make  it,  but  I  wouldn't  have  missed 
that  spelling  contest  for  a  dollar ! " 

"  Quite  a  time,  eh  ?  " 

"Yes,  we  had  a  nice  meeting.  The  young  people  suc- 
ceeded at  last  in  getting  a  degree  team  started,  etc.,  etc." 

Even  a  stranger  to  the  neighborhood  would  read 
every  word  of  such  a  report,  which  goes  on  to  recite 
some  of  the  details  of  the  spelling  match,  name  the  cap- 
tain of  the  degree  team,  and  to  outline  the  plan  for  a 
proposed  contest.  He  would  know  without  being  told 
that  the  Grange  is  doing  something  worth  while.  Great 
is  the  power  of  good  Grange  press  reporting. 


84  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

THE  PERSONAL  ELEMENT 

A  Sunday  School  teacher  was  trying  to  explain  what 
a  letter  was.  "  Did  you  ever  get  a  letter  ?  "  she  asked 
her  class  of  primary  pupils.  "  Yes,  yes,  one  from  you !  " 
exclaimed  one  and  another  of  the  group.  The  teacher 
was  surprised,  not  recalling  the  letter  she  herself  had 
written  whenever  one  of  her  pupils  was  absent.  But  the 
incident  showed  her  the  value  of  the  practice.  It  is 
true  everywhere,  with  young  and  old,  that  it  is  the  per- 
sonality put  into  any  work  that  wins  and  holds.  Mas- 
ters of  Granges,  if  they  would  succeed,  may  depend 
upon  success  in  just  so  great  a  measure  as  they  are  will- 
ing to  give  of  themselves  to  the  work;  nothing  more, 
nothing  less.  Cold  forms,  glittering  plans,  fine  halls, 
low  insurance,  discounted  bills — none  of  these  things, 
nor  all  of  them,  will  build  up  a  strong  Grange  senti- 
ment without  something  besides.  Every  man  or  woman, 
perhaps  unconsciously,  craves  individual  recognition, 
sympathy,  and  appreciation.  Whether  his  part  in  life 
be  humble  or  high,  this  is  true.  If  it  be  humble,  per- 
haps he  deserves  and  needs  it  most  of  all. 

The  shepherd  of  a  flock  calleth  his  sheep  by  name. 
It  is  a  sign  of  wisdom  in  a  Grange  Master,  Lecturer, 
or  other  leader  to  build  on  this  very  simple  suggestion. 
If  he  follows  such  an  example  and  becomes  acquainted 
with  each  individual's  qualities,  the  Grange  will  best 
be  able  to  serve  all.  The  hearty  greeting  spoken  to 
•every  member  present  at  a  meeting;  the  message  sent 
through  another  member,  or  'phoned,  or  written  next 
•day  to  a  sick  member;  the  recognition,  when  making 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE         85 

assignments  on  a  committee  or  on  the  program  of  some 
special  fitness  of  the  person  appointed  for  the  duty ;  the 
mention  of  some  worthy  work  or  object  lesson  exem- 
plified in  one's  farm  or  home — these  are  things  that 
count.  A  thousand  more  might  be  added,  but  they  are 
all  among  the  uncounted  details  that  occur  to  an  officer 
to  do  for  his  Grange  members  when  once  he  consciously 
sets  himself  to  get  into  personal  sympathy  with  their 
needs  and  abilities. 

CULTIVATING  ALL  TERRITORY 

If  the  Master  is  in  earnest  about  taking  the  Grange 
gospel  to  all  eligible  persons  within  his  jurisdiction, 
some  workable  plan  is  necessary.  Various  methods  are 
in  vogue  to  increase  membership;  to  recall  them  may 
prove  suggestive.    They  are : 

1.  By  additions  that  naturally  come  to  a  Grange  with- 
out special  effort. 

2.  By  the  contest  plan.  Scores  of  Granges  have  added 
to  their  membership  by  this  method.  It  is  an  unexcelled 
tonic  for  a  lethargic  Grange,  when  prudently  administered 
and  wisely  followed  up. 

3.  By  the  "  Jones  plan "  and  its  modifications.  The 
names  of  non-members  living  on  each  road  leading  out  from 
the  Grange  center  are  read  and  the  list  divided  by  choice 
among  members  for  their  cultivation  and  solicitation.  If 
one  person  receives  a  half  dozen  invitations  by  this  method 
he  is  apt  to  sign  in  self-defense,  if  for  no  better  recog- 
nized reason.  Reports  on  the  progress  of  these  solicitors 
are  made  at  the  subsequent  meetings  until  all  the  possi- 
bilities have  been  thoroughly  canvassed. 


86  THE  GRANGE  MASTER 

4.  Names  may  be  collected  through  roll-call,  asking  each 
person  to  name  one  eligible  person  who  is  not  a  member  of 
the  Grange.  A  committee  on  the  Good  of  the  Order  then 
invites  each  person  on  such  list  to  the  social  and  program 
hour  of  the  Grange  at  as  early  a  date  as  possible.  At  the. 
time  of  his  visit  this  committee  sees  that  the  guest  is  given 
a  printed  program  of  the  quarter's  work,  or  is  verbally  in- 
formed of  what  the  Grange  is  doing ;  it  attends  to  his  com- 
fort and  his  introduction  to  others,  and  becomes  generally 
responsible  for  his  pleasure  and  his  profit.  One  of  the 
committee  also  sees  that  he  is  asked  to  consider  signing  an 
application  for  membership. 

When  a  Grange  is  extending  unmistakable  benefits 
to  its  members  and  into  a  community,  a  thorough  can- 
vass inevitably  results  in  an  increased  membership. 

A  LIVE   WIKE 

The  Grange  Master  must  radiate  belief  and  joy  in 
the  Grange  movement  if  he  is  to  succeed  in  his  admin- 
istration of  one  of  its  local  units.  He  should  remember 
that  traffic  is  stopped,  business  is  paralyzed  when  the 
wire  overhead  is  dead.  This  practical,  old  business 
world  depends  tremendously  on  an  invisible,  intangible 
something  that  must  surcharge  cold  metal  till  everything 
that  comes  in  contact  with  it  is  vitalized. 

When  a  trolley  car  lifts  up  its  gaunt  arm  and, 
clutching  a  live  wire,  moves  off  with  its  precious  burden 
of  human  freight,  it  is  an  emblem  of  the  individual  who 
reaches  out  his  hand  to  clasp  a  force  outside  himself 
that  will  stimulate  and  carry  him  on  to  greater  efficiency. 
Such  a  thing  a  man  does  when  he  takes  membership 


A  MASTER'S  SUCCESS  OR  FAILURE        87 

in  the  Grange.  Such  a  motive  power  is  the  Grange;  it 
has  back  of  it  a  half  century  spent  in  generating  bat- 
teries of  influence  for  a  million  members  distributed 
over  the  nation.  It  tones  up  the  systems  of  farm  men 
and  women  to  realize  that  they  are  connected  with  a 
live  institution  which  is  a  factor  with  recognized  au- 
thority in  every  attempt  made  to  solve  some  of  the  great 
legislative  and  educational  problems  of  our  time.  It  is 
worth  while  for  people  to  belong  in  such  company,  worth 
while  to  feel  that  they  are  a  part  of  something  bigger 
and  stronger  than  themselves,  and  that  the  confines  of 
one  small  neighborhood  do  not  represent  the  extent  of 
their  human  connections.  It  shakes  sleeping  faculties 
awake;  new  currents  of  thought  and  sociability  are  set 
coursing  through  their  veins;  they  tingle  with  the  joy  of 
getting  out  of  old  ruts  in  work,  recreation,  and  language. 
Such  contact  broadens  the  outlook  of  those  who,  maybe, 
have  been  walking  in  a  circle  across  which  they  might 
easily  have  tossed  a  stone.  It  dispels  isolation ;  for  it  is 
a  fact  that,  even  though  you  can  look  into  your  neigh- 
bor's window  or  yard,  if  you  do  not  get  at  his  ideas  or 
he  at  yours,  you  are  strangers  to  each  other.  In  short, 
the  successful  Master  feels  and  makes  others  feel  that  to 
be  in  the  Grange  is  to  be  connected  with  a  live  wire. 


PART  III 
THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 


A  GRANGE  LECTURER'S  CREED. 

I  believe  in  the  Bigness  of  the  Grange, — in  its  splendid  past 
and  sturdy  present;  but,  most  of  all,  I  believe  in  its  glorious 
possibilities  for  future  usefulness. 

I  believe  in  a  program  for  every  meeting. 

I  believe  that,  as  Lecturer,  I  should  love  to  do  my  work. 

I  believe  that  I  am  entitled  to  take  a  large  responsibility  in 
realizing  my  Grange  ideals  among  my  own  neighbors, — if  need 
be,  by  fanning  breath  into  dormancy;  wringing  success  from 
defeat;  coaxing  strength  to  grow  from  weakness;  and  changing 
Grange  purposes  from  self-seeking  to  community  building. 

I  believe  I  am  elected  to  work, — the  pleasant,  ceaseless  work 
of  helping  others  to  do  better  work  in  field,  home,  and  state 
than  they  have  ever  done  before. 

I  believe  the  program  hour  should  dominate  the  Grange,  and 
that  for  good. 

I  believe  even  the  entertainment  features  of  the  program 
should  lead  to  thought. 

I  believe  plenty  of  light,  fresh  air,  music,  and  good  cheer  are 
indispensable  parts  of  every  truly  successful  lecture  hour. 

I  believe  the  lecture  hour  is  the  handmaid  of  the  Grange, — not 
greater  than  its  legislative,  co-operative,  social,  or  other  depart- 
ment, but  the  servant  of  each  and  all  of  these. 

I  believe  in  appealing  to  the  eye  as  well  as  to  the  ear;  to  the 
love  of  action;  to  an  interest  in  public  affairs;  and  to  a  sincere 
desire  to  lead  an  efficient,  all-around  life  in  the  country. 

I  believe  a  Grange  Lecturer  must  have  hope;  exert  tact;  plan 
far  ahead;  often  show  more  confidence  in  members  than  they 
feel  in  themselves;  keep  her  program  disappointments  to  herself; 
amd  smile. 

I  believe,  finally,  I  should  today  resolve  to  beat  my  own 
record. 


CHAPTEK  I 

THE  GRANGE  LECTURE  HOUR 

The  literary  program  of  a  Grange  meeting  has  come  to 
be  known  as  the  lecture  hour.  It  is  as  much  a  part  of 
the  exercises  as  the  opening  and  closing  ceremonies  and 
the  auditing  of  bills  and  accounts.  Through  the  wisdom 
and  foresight  of  the  founders  this  time  is  provided  for 
the  advancement  of  education  among  members.  It  is  in 
charge  of  the  Lecturer,  who  prepares  and  conducts  a 
program  consisting  of  discussions  interspersed  with 
literary  and  entertaining  features.  All  subjects  that 
touch  human  interests  are,  as  a  matter  of  course,  proper 
to  come  before  the  Grange,  but  the  emphasis  is  naturally 
placed  upon  topics  related  to  the  farm  and  home  and 
to  civic  interests.  Perhaps  no  better  summary  of  what 
falls  within  the  wide  province  of  the  lecture  hour  has 
been  written  than  the  third  paragraph  of  The  Declara- 
tion of  Purposes  adopted  by  the  National  Grange  in 
1874: 

We  shall  endeavor  to  advance  our  cause  by  laboring  to 
accomplish  the  following  objects : 

To  develop  a  better  and  higher  manhood  and  woman- 
hood among  ourselves.  To  enhance  the  comforts  and  at- 
tractions of  our  homes,  and  strengthen  our  attachments  to 
our  pursuits.     To  foster  mutual  understanding  and  co- 

91 


92  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

operation.  To  maintain  inviolate  our  laws,  and  to  emulate 
each  other  in  labor,  to  hasten  the  good  time  coming.  To 
reduce  our  expenses,  both  individual  and  corporate.  To 
buy  less  and  produce  more  in  order  to  make  our  farms  self- 
sustaining.  To  diversify  our  crops,  and  crop  no  more  than 
we  cultivate.  To  condense  the  weight  of  our  exports,  sell- 
ing less  in  the  bushel  and  more  on  hoof  and  in  fleece;  less 
in  lint  and  more  in  warp  and  woof.  To  systematize  our 
work,  and  calculate  intelligently  on  probabilities.  To  dis- 
countenance the  credit  system,  the  mortgage  system,  the 
fashion  system,  and  every  other  system  tending  to  prodi- 
gality and  bankruptcy. 

We  propose  meeting  together,  talking  together,  working 
together,  buying  together,  selling  together,  and  in  general 
acting  together  for  our  mutual  protection  and  advance- 
ment as  occasion  may  require.  We  shall  avoid  litigations 
as  much  as  possible  by  arbitration  in  the  Grange.  We  shall 
constantly  strive  to  secure  entire  harmony,  good  will,  vital 
brotherhood  among  ourselves,  and  to  make  our  Order  per- 
petual. We  shall  earnestly  endeavor  to  suppress  personal, 
local,  sectional,  and  national  prejudices,  all  unhealthy 
rivalry,  all  selfish  ambition.  Faithful  adherence  to  these 
principles  will  insure  our  mental,  moral,  social,  and  ma- 
terial advancement. 

The  lecture  hour  has  been  called  the  heart  of  the 
Grange.  This  expression  suggests  that  it  serves  the 
Grange  movement  as  the  heart  serves  the  human  body, 
intimating  that  in  this  hour  are  centered  the  life  cur- 
rents of  the  entire  Grange.  It  is  the  means  by  -which 
energy  is  distributed  throughout  the  system  and  weak 
points  are  strengthened.  The  heart, — that  which  sym- 
bolizes warmth,  affection,  life  itself — this,  in  the  Grange, 


THE  GRANGE  LECTUEE  HOUR      93 

is  the  lecture  hour.  Here  Grange  initiative  largely  origi- 
nates and  here  it  is  maintained. 

Fifty-three  years  of  Grange  history  clearly  demon- 
strate that  a  Lecturer's  program  is  essential  to  a  perma- 
nent Grange  life,  yet  patrons  must  be  continually 
reminded  that  without  observance  of  the  lecture  hour, 
Granges  dwindle  and  die.  They  must  be  led  to  a  con- 
stantly increasing  appreciation  of  its  value.  Though 
they  purchase  carload  upon  carload  of  coal,  that  alone 
will  not  keep  burning  the  real  Grange  fires.  Though 
they  dispense  thousands  of  gallons  of  illuminating  oil, 
it  will  not  make  their  meetings  bright  and  shining  social 
centers.  Though  they  buy  enough  binder  twine  to  gird 
the  globe  with  cordage  cable,  except  the  lecture  hour  be 
strung  with  lines  of  living  interest,  the  very  Grange 
itself  will  slip  its  moorings.  Though  they  insure  their 
barns  and  houses  against  fire  and  cyclone  and  the  life 
of  every  member  against  grim  death  itself — this  will 
not  save  the  Grange  from  expiration  if  the  lecture  hour 
is  not  made  the  vitalizing  center  from  which  the  red 
blood  of  Grange  life  is  pumped  to  every  part  of  its  body. 

A  EUEAL  FORUM 

There  should  be  an  attempt  to  have  a  program  at 
every  meeting  of  a  Subordinate  Grange.  It  was  Na- 
tional Master  Lowell,  who,  when  Lecturer  of  New  York 
State  Grange,  said  that  the  lecture  hour  should  dominate 
the  Grange,  and  that  for  good.  He  held  that  the  pro- 
gram should  give  a  clear,  high  aim  to  officers  and  mem- 
bers, and  that  the  topics  considered  and  entertainments 
provided  should  always  be  of  such  a  character  as  to 


94  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

stimulate  the  highest  citizenship.  The  lecture  hour  is 
meant  to  be  used  for  the  development  of  all  its  mem- 
bers, not  simply  a  select  few.  It  should  create  good 
feeling  and  expect  courteous  manners  at  the  Grange, 
besides  inciting  its  members  to  more  purposeful  think- 
ing as  they  go  about  their  daily  duties.  Moreover,  the 
ideal  lecture  hour  cultivates  patriotism  and  good  citizen- 
ship. It  affords  a  platform  where  public  questions  may 
be  discussed  in  a  parliamentary  way  and  the  sentiment 
of  a  neighborhood  created  and  directed. 

program:  principles 

After  many  years  of  experimenting  a  few  simple  rules 
have  come  to  obtain  with  respect  to  programs  for  the 
lecture  hour  of  most  Granges.  Summarized,  these  prin- 
ciples are: 

1.  Carry  out  a  program  at  every  meeting.  It  is  the  Lec- 
turer's right  and  the  constitutional  duty  of  each  Grange  to 
do  this.  In  most  cases  the  Master  and  members  expect  it, 
although  in  a  few  cases  it  has  not  been  customary.  In 
very  rare  instances  the  Lecturer  will  need  to  insist  on  it. 
Upon  persistent  neglect  of  the  program  hour  she  should 
tactfully  and  good-naturedly  urge  its  use  and  see  that  time 
is  allowed.  This  accomplished,  it-  rests  with  the  Lecturer 
to  make  good. 

2.  Every  program  should  give  the  members  informa- 
tion, something  worth  knowing. 

3.  Every  program  should  afford  something  which  all 
will  like  to  remember,  as  a  beautiful  poem,  a  song,  a  pic- 
ture, or  a  jolly  laugh  with  others. 

4.  Every  program  should  impress  itself  through  the  eye 


THE  GRANGE  LECTUEE  HOUR     95 

as  well  as  through  the  ear,  which  calls  for  the  use  of  ob- 
jects to  illustrate  some  of  the  subjects  talked  about. 

5.  A  program  succeeds  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
persons  having  a  part  in  it. 

The  fortnightly  program  should  be  interesting;  not 
so  from  the  standpoint  of  being  entertaining  alone,  but 
because  it  offers  something  helpful  and  instructive  as 
well.  Members  ought  to  be  able  to  carry  from  the  hall 
in  memory  something  worth  pondering  and  enjoying 
afterward.  There  should  always  be  some  music  if  pos- 
sible. Music  helps  people  as  nothing  else  does  if  it  is 
of  the  right  sort ;  and  no  Lecturer  of  a  Grange  has  a 
moral  claim  on  the  office  who  will  allow  the  repetition  of 
a  song,  a  recitation,  or  a  remark  that  raises  a  laugh  or 
thought  that  does  not  tend  to  promote  "  a  higher  man- 
hood and  nobler  womanhood."  Besides  music  and  en- 
tertaining features  there  should  be  one  or  two  or  three 
subjects  set  forth  in  papers  or  in  discussion.  The  ques- 
tion box  and  the  roll-call  with  various  responses  are  two 
most  effective  resources  of  the  new  Grange.  Another 
golden  opportunity  of  the  Lecturer  is  the  enlisting  of 
the  young  people  and  of  new  members  as  fast  as  they 
come  in.  It  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  no  Grange  would 
become  dormant  if  every  member  was  at  once  made  to 
feel  responsibility.  These  details,  pertaining  to  the  suc- 
cessful Grange  program,  are  dealt  with  at  greater  length 
under  the  chapter,  "  Methods  in  Lecture  Work." 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  LECTURER 

The  Lecturer's  responsibility  in  the  conduct  of  a 
Grange  is  often  said  to  be  more  important  than  that  of 
any  of  the  other  officers.  Possibly  so, — but  at  the  same 
time  it  must  be  remembered  that  no  one  office  nor  any 
one  member  can  really  be  considered  the  most  important 
in  an  organization  based  on  the  very  principles  of  doing- 
things  together.  It  is  truly  an  important  office,  for 
upon  the  push  and  alertness  of  the  Lecturer  depend  very 
much  of  that  widening  mental  horizon  and  actual  de- 
velopment of  members  and  their  homes  which  should 
result  from  the  work  of  every  well-regulated  Grange. 
Level-minded  farm  people,  having  attained  a  clear 
understanding  of  the  true  mission  of  the  Grange,  usu- 
ally go  into  it  for  these  purposes,  and  do  not  stay  unless 
they  find  stress  laid  upon  them.  Some  few  members 
do  not  get  this  idea  at  first,  but  must  be  tactfully  led 
into  it. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Lecturer  to  prepare  a  program 
for  each  meeting.  In  the  early  days  of  the  Grange, 
the  Lecturer  was  presumed  to  furnish  much  of  the  pro- 
gram himself,  deliver  short  addresses,  and  otherwise 
instruct  the  members ;  but  the  development  of  the  Grange 
has  brought  about  two  distinct  changes:   (1)   It  has 

96 


THE  LECTURER  97 

gradually  seen  women  supplant  men  to  a  very  great 
extent  in  this  office  in  Subordinate  Granges.  (It  is 
on  this  account  that  in  these  pages  the  Lecturer  is  as- 
sumed to  be  a  woman.)  (2)  The  duties  have  changed 
from  those  of  a  "  lecturer  "  to  those  of  a  teacher.  The 
Lecturer  must  know  people  as  well  as  facts;  she  must 
study  how  to  arouse  the  indifferent  members ;  she  must 
tactfully  draw  out  the  stored-up  funds  in  the  non- 
communicative  members;  and  she  must  incite  to  com- 
petition and  rivalry  those  who  are  not  moved  by  finer 
motives. 

The  wise  Lecturer  will  not  forget  that  her  mission  is 
to  persuade  people  that  giving  is  better  than  getting. 
When  she  believes  that  a  member  has  knowledge  or  ex- 
perience which  he  might  profitably  share  with  others, 
she  should  not  easily  be  turned  aside  from  obtaining  it 
for  the  Grange  through  the  programs.  She  should 
rarely  take  "  no  "  for  an  answer.  She  may  have  to 
angle  for  a  different  answer  and  sometimes  cast  line 
several  times  in  the  same  spot,  but  it  is  worth  all  the 
pains  finally  to  land  the  shy,  diffident  game  in  the  shape 
of  a  new  participant  in  the  lecture  hour.  That  member 
has  then  become  something  more  than  he  was  before; 
and  for  that  purpose,  above  all  others,  the  Grange  exists. 
Finally,  the  Lecturer  must  not  lose  heart.  If  she 
should,  no  one  must  know  it.  It  will  not  do  to  stop 
after  asking  people  to  take  part  in  the  program  once  or 
twice.  The  humble  mottoes,  "  Never  be  discouraged  " 
and  "  Try,  try  again "  must  be  guiding  stars  out  of 
every  perplexity. 


98  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

SOURCES  OF   HELP 

If  thought  of  the  needs  of  the  lecture  hour  is  carried 
in  the  heart  of  the  Lecturer,  she  will  find  in  every  con- 
tact of  life  material  to  make  use  of  during  this  hour  in 
the  Grange.  This  means  that  she  will  have  the  need  on 
her  mind  when  she  reads,  and  when  she  listens  to  con- 
versation, lecture,  song,  or  sermon;  it  will  be  with  her 
in  whatever  she  does  on  the  farm  and  in  the  home ;  in 
whatever  she  sees  by  the  roadside  or  in  further  journeys ; 
and  in  all  those  deeper  experiences  of  life  which  come 
from  mingling  with  fellow-men,  women,  and  little  chil- 
dren. There  is  no  such  word  as  "  fail "  to  a  Lecturer 
like  this.  She  will  overcome  all  obstacles,  and  whatever 
she  does  she  will  strive  to  do  well. 

In  preparation  for  their  work  many  Lecturers  collect 
what  one  of  them  has  called  "  vest-pocket  helps,"  but 
which,  now  that  most  Lecturers  are  women,  might  per- 
haps better  be  dubbed  "  hand-bag  helps."  These  are 
such  things  as  the  newspaper  or  magazine  article  that 
the  Lecturer  marks  and  saves;  those  fine  quotations  or 
current  items  that  she  has  clipped  or  copied ;  and  those 
experiments  of  her  own  or  of  her  neighbors  which  she 
has  noted  down.  She  carries  any  or  all  of  these  to  the 
Grange  for  an  emergency.  The  practice  is  most  com- 
mendable and  leads  to  more  systematic  training  in  the 
office.  Notebooks,  clipping  files,  and  other  orderly  meth- 
ods of  preserving  lecture-hour  helps  come  naturally  to  be 
a  part  of  the  growing  Lecturer's  working  outfit.  More- 
over, a  Lecturer  who  thus  collects  or  makes  notes  of  facts 
and  incidents  that  may  prove  useful  in  the  meetings  en- 


THE  LECTURER  99 

courages  similar  habits  in  the  Grange  membership.  To 
such  a  Lecturer  there  comes  a  genuine  thrill  of  satis- 
faction when  a  member,  who  has  acquired  the  "  pocket 
habit,"  pulls  out  a  farm  paper  and  reads  the  latest  word 
on  corn  experiments;  or  takes  out  his  notebook  and 
quotes  from  it  statistics  on  cattle-feeding;  or  dips  into 
her  knitting-bag  for  a  clipping  on  short-cuts  in  house- 
work, or  a  recipe  for  an  eggless  cake,  or  some  other  sea- 
sonable hint. 

OTHEK  SOURCES  OP  HELP 

There  is  a  hint  to  those  who  are  put  in  places  of 
Grange  responsibility  in  an  incident  once  related  of  a 
certain  university  president,  who,  at  the  opening  of  the 
fall  term,  sent  a  personal  letter  to  each  member  of  his 
faculty  asking  co-operation  in  solving  the  problems 
which  should  arise  in  conducting  the  school.  He  wrote 
in  part: 

The  success  of  our  university  in  the  past  has  come  as  the 
result  of  the  hearty  co-operation  of  all  members  of  the 
faculty.  The  efficiency  of  the  future  will  be  in  direct  pro- 
portion to  the  helpful  contributions  made  by  faculty  mem- 
bers. I  take  this  opportunity  to  invite  you  to  make  sug- 
gestions for  improvements.  ...  I  need  your  help.  I  must 
have  it  if  your  dreams  and  mine  for  this  institution  are  to 
be  realized. 

The  Grange,  in  its  way,  also  has  educational  value, 
and  the  Lecturer  is  its  educational  leader.  Does  anyone 
believe  that  a  Grange  could  not  be  strengthened  by 
leadership  such  as  is  shown  in  this  quoted  letter  of  the 


100  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

university  president  to  his  colleagues?  Such  co- 
operation, if  invoked  candidly,  and  carried  out  com- 
pletely, is  dynamic  in  its  results.  There  comes  to  mind 
a  certain  local  Grange  where  it  has  long  been  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Lecturer  to  seek  often  for  suggestion  from 
other  officers  and  members.  Scarcely  a  program  in 
years  has  been  planned  without  a  conference  of  from 
two  to  seven  or  eight  persons,  and  not  infrequently  a 
general  call  is  made  to  the  entire  membership  for  topics 
and  suggestions.  This  simple — but  all  too  unusual — 
practice  explains  why  this  Grange  is  one  of  the  fore- 
most in  its  state  for  program  work. 

A  DISTINCT  PROBLEM 

Two  facts  make  the  Lecturer's  duty  a  peculiarly  per- 
plexing one:  the  Grange  members  range  in  age  from 
fourteen  years  upward,  and  no  educational  qualifica- 
tions are  required  to  admit  anyone  who  is  otherwise 
eligible.  The  trained  teacher,  accustomed  to  dealing 
with  grades  and  systems  adapted  to  similar  ages  and 
stages  of  intellectual  attainment,  stands  aghast  at  the 
situation  confronting  her  when  chosen  Lecturer  of  a 
Subordinate  Grange.  What,  then,  shall  be  said  of  the 
untrained  who  is  called  to  accept  the  office?  Fortu- 
nately for  such,  no  doubt,  the  true  significance  of  the 
undertaking  dawns  slowly. 

POWER  OF  THE  LECTURER 

It  has  been  shown  that  to  the  Lecturer  very  largely 
has  been  intrusted  the  direction  of  the  amusement  and 
the  intellectual  growth  of  the  Grange  members  so  far  as 


THE  LECTURER  101 

they  derive  these  from  their  association  with  the  organi- 
zation. This-  is  true,  however  freely  the  Lecturer  calls 
upon  other  officers  and  members  for  suggestion  and 
counsel.  It  is,  therefore,  no  light  matter  to  be  Lecturer 
in  a  Subordinate  Grange.  This  officer  is,  in  a  large 
measure,  responsible  for  the  interest  of  members  in  the 
Grange  and  for  their  ideals  concerning  their  home  and 
farm  surroundings,  rural  schools,  and  local  community 
conditions.  The  Lecturer  is,  moreover,  somewhat  re- 
sponsible for  the  attitude  which  the  members  hold 
toward  issues,  of  both  state  and  national  welfare,  such 
as  taxation,  the  land  question,  conservation  of  natural 
resources,  transportation,  rural  school  improvement, 
control  of  packers,  collective  bargaining,  relations  be- 
tween farmers  and  laborers,  reduction  of  government 
expenses,  and  many  other  vital  affairs.  Moreover,  her 
influence  is  not  confined  to  the  membership  of  the 
Grange  but,  through  it,  she  often  redirects  the  pur- 
poses and  interests  of  the  whole  community.  Because 
she  is  also  charged  with  the  cultivation  of  unused  abili- 
ties and  the  development  of  leadership  in  those  who  have 
heretofore  modestly  kept  in  the  shadow,  her  trust  is 
truly  great,  and  is  matched  only  by  her  opportunity 
for  personal  growth  and  development  and  a  satisfaction 
in  having  a  part  in  the  nation-wide  movement  for  coun- 
try betterment. 

a  lecturer's  sele-examination 

Elsewhere  I  shall  have  something  to  say  about  spe- 
cial opportunities  for  the  training  of  Lecturers.  Here 
we  are  concerned  only  with  what  the  Lecturer  derives 


102  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

or  may  do  for  herself  through  the  discharge  of  the 
ordinary  duties  of  her  office. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  is  reported  to  have  once  said 
that  whenever  one  of  his  congregation  went  to  sleep  the 
sexton  had  orders  to  come  around  and  wake  up  the 
minister!  If  the  Lecturer  suspects  that  the  Grange  is 
falling  asleep,  it  is  advisable  that  she  should  go  home 
and  search  herself  somewhat  after  this  fashion :  "  Am  I 
constantly  trying  to  get  new  people  to  take  part  in  my 
program?  Am  I  assigning  simple  tasks  to  beginners 
and  harder  ones  to  old-timers  ?  Am  I  giving  the  advan- 
tage in  time  and  opportunity  to  diffident  members  and 
holding  the  ready  talkers  in  check  ?  Am  I  asking  indi- 
viduals to  bring  such  objects  as  specimens  of  fruit, 
cookery,  grain,  wood,  flowers,  stones,  and  pictures  or 
models  to  illustrate  my  programs?  Am  I  keeping  the 
young  people  busy?  Am  I  planning  my  work  well 
ahead  so  as  to  keep  a  grip  on  it  and  make  each  program 
better  than  the  last  ?  If  I  am  doing  these  things  I  know 
that  I  am  not  far  from  the  Lecturer's  Highway  to  Suc- 
cess.   If  I  am  not,  I  can  at  least  try  again !  " 


CHAPTEE  III 

METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK 

The  work  of  a  Lecturer  who  has  even  a  modicum  of 
aptness  for  her  office  can  well  be  improved  by  a  study  of 
the  results  and  methods  of  other  Lecturers  and  of  lead- 
ers in  other  institutions  having  educational  aims;  but 
a  Lecturer  cannot  take  a  Normal  training  course  in 
lecture-hour  methods,  however  desirable  that  might  be. 
Even  if  such  instruction  were  anywhere  given,  oftener 
than  not  the  Lecturer  of  the  Grange  is  the  busiest  wife 
and  mother  in  the  neighborhood.  Whatever  helps  she 
has  must  come  to  her;  she  cannot  go  far  afield  for 
them.  The  suggestions  regarding  a  Lecturer's  methods 
that  are  set  down  in  this  little  book  are,  therefore,  writ- 
ten with  such  a  person  in  mind  and  are  not  presumed 
to  be  a  guide  to  a  technically  trained  teacher.  The 
large  majority  of  Grange  Lecturers  are  men  and  women 
in  middle  life  or  quite  young  people  who  have  not  had 
the  advantages  of  higher  schools  or  colleges  which  they 
would  have  liked.  Comparatively  few  of  them  have  had 
technical  training  in  agriculture  or  home  economics. 
Many  of  them  are  now  assuming  extraordinary  burdens 
that  their  children  may  have  what  they  lacked  in  the 
way  of  educational  privileges.  They  recognize  in  the 
Grange  somewhat  of  a  recompense  for  their  own  earlier 

103 


104  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

loss,  and  they  are  using  their  light  to  the  utmost  for 
the  development  of  themselves  and  their  neighbors. 

RECORDS 

The  more  crowded  and  short  of  time  a  Lecturer  may 
be  the  more  necessary  it  is  that  she  have  some  definite 
order  and  system  for  her  Grange  duties. 

The  first  essential  is  a  place  for  her  Grange  material. 
This  may  be  an  undisturbed  desk,  a  shelf  in  a  bookcase, 
or  simply  a  pasteboard  box  kept  always  accessible.  The 
important  thing  is  that,  however  humble,  the  "  Lectur- 
er's corner," — as  some  call  it, — shall  be  separate  from 
other  associations  of  the  home.  In  this  place  the  Lec- 
turer can  quickly  put  her  hand  on  references,  program 
outlines,  clippings,  and  records  regarding  her  work. 
The  more  time  and  system  she  can  give  to  the  filing  of 
all  this  material,  the  more  usable  it  will  become  to  her, 
but  even  without  that,  the  mere  keeping  of  all  Grange 
material  together  will  be  a  first  decided  step  toward 
efficiency. 

Notebooks. — Every  Lecturer  needs  a  notebook, — two 
are  better ;  one  for  home  use  and  one  to  carry  to  Grange 
meetings.  The  home  record  book  is  for  a  complete  list 
of  the  names  and  addresses  of  members  of  the  Grange. 
If  the  Lecturer  holds  the  office  in  a  Pomona  Grange, 
there  should  also  be  kept  a  list  of  the  newspapers  of  the 
county  for  mailing  purposes,  a  list  of  Lecturers  and 
other  prominent  officers  of  all  Subordinate  Granges  and 
officers  of  other  rural  organizations  of  the  county  and 
the  names  of  such  individuals  in  her  own  and  other 
counties  to  whom  she  may  wish  to  send  programs  or 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  105 

press  reports  from  time  to  time.  This  list  should  in- 
clude the  names  of  the  county  school  commissioner  and 
the  rural  ministers.  In  the  home  record  book  should 
also  be  kept  copies  of  programs  which  have  been  carried 
out  by  the  Grange.  This  makes  an  invaluable  reference, 
especially  if  the  Lecturer  serves  more  than  one  year  in 
the  office.  Here,  too,  may  be  pasted  all  press  reports  of 
all  meetings  of  the  Grange, — for  the  Lecturer  who 
grows  in  her  work  comes  to  depend  more  and  more  on 
the  press  for  clinching  the  success  of  her  efforts. 

The  Lecturer's  second  notebook, — the  one  that  slips 
into  the  vest-pocket  or  hand-bag  and  goes  wherever  the 
Lecturer  goes, — is  simply  for  handy  reference,  and  for 
jotting  down  an  address,  a  topic,  an  idea,  significant  and 
useful  facts  about  members,  or  an  incident  that  occurs 
to  the  Lecturer  as  having  some  future  value.  Every 
Lecturer  ought  to  acquire  the  habit  of  being  able  to  make 
such  entries  under  all  sorts  of  inconvenient  circum- 
stances,— while  people  talk  to  her,  while  riding  in  a 
car  or  buggy,  while  churning,  or  while  quieting  the 
baby.  Moreover,  by  making  note  of  ideas  as  they  occur 
to  her  in  such  close  association  with  her  own  daily  life 
and  observation,  the  Lecturer  will  give  her  program 
plans  a  basis  of  reality  and  fitness  to  the  actual  needs 
and  conditions  of  her  neighbors  which  no  amount  of 
material  gleaned  from  books  and  distant  fields  can  pos- 
sibly provide.  In  the  "  hand-bag  "  notebook  will  also 
be  slipped,  from  time  to  time,  such  clipped  items  as  the 
Lecturer  may  wish  to  hand  out  with  assigned  topics,  or 
which  she  thinks  she  might  use  in  a  program  emergency. 

Printed  helps. — In  the  Lecturer's  office  nook  should 


106  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

be  filed  books,  periodicals,  and  clippings  desirable  for 
reference.  If  time  permits,  tbese  may  profitably  be 
sorted  under  a  few  general  heads,  as — Farm  practices, 
Crops,  Agricultural  needs,  Home  economics,  House- 
hold equipment,  Farm  home  helps,  Eural  recreation, 
Care  of  children,  Legislation,  Eural  public  welfare, 
etc.,  etc.  If  each  of  such  groups  of  clippings  is  placed 
in  a  separate  envelope,  it  makes  the  filing  more  sys- 
tematic, but  a  paper  clip  snapped  over  each  set  answers 
very  well.  In  the  end  any  similar  plan  of  sorting  saves 
the  busy  Lecturer's  time. 

ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  HUMAN  MATEEIAL 

"  I  never  thought  about  studying  the  members  before. 
I  have  thought  a  good  deal  about  my  programs,  but  now 
I  see  that  is  only  a  part  of  what  I  have  to  do."  The 
speaker  was  a  Lecturer  who  was  attending  a  conference 
on  lecture-hour  methods  where  the  importance  of  know- 
ing people  had  been  emphasized.  She  was  right;  topics, 
questions,  recitations,  etc.,  are  but  the  warp  of  the  web 
the  Lecturer  is  set  to  weave.  Folks  are  the  woof.  It 
is  necessary  that  Lecturers  consider  their  members  care- 
fully. Let  the  Lecturer  occasionally  name  to  herself 
their  good  points  and  plan  to  call  these  into  play.  Espe- 
cially should  she  study  those  people  who  are  practically 
new  to  her  acquaintance;  but  even  among  familiar 
friends  will  she  discover  new  program  possibilities  when 
they  are  scrutinized  with  an  eye  to  such  points.  Per- 
haps one  man  is  a  weed  crank  and,  while  he  is  no  talker, 
he  keeps  his  fields  cleaner  than  those  of  his  neighbors. 
Suppose  the  Lecturer  gather  a  handful  of  the  most 


METHODS  IN"  LECTURE  WORK  107 

pestiferous  weeds,  including  newer  kinds,  and,  taking 
them  to  Grange,  ask  this  man  what  they  are,  what  he 
knows  of  their  dangerous  habits,  and  how  to  rid  the 
fields  of  them.  If  he  mentions  other  weeds,  follow  up 
the  lead  with  questions.  If  he  evinces  considerable 
interest,  send  to  the  agricultural  college  for  a  bulletin 
on  weeds  and  hand  this  to  him  at  the  next  meeting. 

The  Lecturer  should  make  it  a  point  to  learn  what 
papers  and  magazines  are  taken  by  members  of  her 
Grange,  and  to  cultivate  their  use  in  the  lecture  hour. 
It  is  worth  far  more  to  ascertain  what  paper  a  member 
reads  and  get  him  to  select  one  article  from  it  to  tell 
about  in  Grange  than  to  allow  him  to  talk  at  random. 
By  watching  the  drawing  of  books  from  the  traveling 
library  the  Lecturer  is  enabled  to  assign  a  review  or  a 
quotation  from  a  certain  book  by  a  particular  member, 
and  the  assignment  can  scarcely  be  declined.  The  writer 
recalls  numberless  instances  where  keeping  her  ears  and 
eyes  open  has  served  the  Lecturer  in  good  stead.  Once 
she  caught  the  Master  of  her  Pomona  talking  to  some- 
one else  about  his  roses.  As  he  lived  distant  from  her 
she  had  not  known  that  he  was  an  enthusiastic  rose 
gardener;  and  she  might  have  given  him  the  topic  of 
rutabagas  instead  of  roses,  had  she  not  been  eavesdrop- 
ping in  a  good  cause!  Another  Lecturer  was  con- 
siderably surprised  to  learn  that  the  wife  of  a  man  who 
was  considered  a  progressive  farmer  knew  nothing  about 
the  meaning  of  the  term  "  crop  rotation."  Still  another 
learned  that  half  the  women  in  her  Grange  understood 
something  of  the  working  of  bacteria  on  clover  roots 
but  nothing  of  bacteria  in  relation  to  vegetable  canning. 


108  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

Possibly  there  are  such  in  other  Granges ;  if  so,  it  is  the 
Lecturer's  privilege  to  search  them  out  and  repeatedly 
put  simple  problems  and  questions  before  them,  taking 
pains  to  make  the  questions  attractive  and  plain  to  those 
farm  people  who  have  not  had  the  elements  of  agricul- 
ture and  home  economics  in  their  school  days.  It  is 
part  of  her  task  and  joy  to  be  persistent  and  patient  with 
these  older  boys  and  girls,  meanwhile  rejoicing  in  the 
dawn  of  a  better  time  when  under  the  direction  of  the 
schools  their  boys  may  study  farming  and  their  girls 
learn  of  home  keeping. 

To  have  a  member  say,  "  Please  excuse  me,"  ought  to 
be  enough  to  set  a  Lecturer  studying  until  she  finds 
some  way  to  get  that  person  interested  and  actually  con- 
tributing to  the  program.  Perhaps  it  is  so  slight  a 
contribution  at  first  that  he  does  not  know  he  has  really 
made  one ;  and  again  it  might  seem  to  be  a  very  odd  one 
if  one  thinks  of  a  program  only  as  a  "  talk-fest."  But 
it  all  helps  in  teaching  the  greatest  lesson  of  the 
Grange, — namely,  that  one  gains  by  sharing  in  this  co- 
operatively-minded organization. 

PEOGEAM   BUILDING 

Progressive  Grange  principles  and  practices  require 
that  its  programs  shall  be  built  after  a  design  in  the 
mind  of  the  Lecturer,  not  thrown  together  out  of  what- 
ever material  happens  to  be  lying  around  loose.  A 
string  of  time-worn  recitations,  random  talks  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment,  and  some  songs  selected  while  the 
Grange  waits, — such  a  hodge-podge  is  unacceptable  to 
Grange  ideals. 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK     109 

Features  of  a  balanced  program. — Broadly  speaking, 
the  framework  of  a  well-built  Grange  program  is  made 
by  using  two  or  three  important  topics,  which  almost 
invariably  relate  to  the  farm,  the  home,  and  affairs  of 
public  moment.  These  few  carefully  chosen  subjects 
form  the  skeleton  of  the  program,  but  material  less 
pointed  or  less  vital  is  often  used  to  supplement  these. 
Many  times  these  leading  topics  are  selected  with  a  dis- 
tinct thought  in  mind  that  their  discussion  will  lead  to 
action  on  the  part  of  the  Grange,  and,  even  sometimes, 
on  the  part  of  the  community.  Thus  the  Lecturer  may 
place  the  subject  of  "  Co-operative  Laundries  "  on  her 
program  because  there  is  a  recognized  need  in  that  neigh- 
borhood of  relief  from  the  heavy  burdens  of  wash-day. 
In  this  way  she  affords  Grange  members  an  opportunity 
to  learn  what  has  been  done  elsewhere  in  this  direction 
and  to  thresh  the  matter  out  with  reference  to  the  local 
situation.  When  a  legislative  measure  concerning  farm- 
ers is  before  the  voters  of  a  state,  the  Lecturer  who 
constructs  her  program  with  a  purpose  gives  that  subject 
a  leading  place  with  full  time  for  discussion  and  action 
upon  it. 

In  choosing  subjects  for  discussion,  the  experienced 
Lecturer  avoids  too  broad  topics.  For  example,  she 
does  not  give  the  topic  "  Sanitation  and  Decoration  in 
the  Farm  Home  "  to  one  person,  but  asks  one  woman  to 
tell  which  part  of  the  house  she  cleans  first,  what  room 
next,  and  so  on;  asks  another  what  cleaning  materials 
she  uses ;  another  what  floor  coverings  she  considers  most 
healthful;  another  to  talk  on  curtains  and  draperies; 
another  on  bedroom  furnishings;  still  another  on  wall- 


110  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

paper  and  pictures;  she  asks  a  man  to  tell  how  water 
is  piped  into  his  kitchen,  or  how  it  might  be  if  it  is  not, 
and  another  man  how  his  cellar  is  made  and  kept  dry. 
Instead  of  assigning  the  subject  "  Poultry  Raising,"  she 
announces  sub-topics,  as  "  How  to  Set  a  Hen,"  "  What 
to  Feed  Young  Chicks,"  etc. ;  instead  of  "  Grain 
Crops  "  she  gives  to  one  person  "  Wheat,"  to  another 
"  How  to  Test  Seed  Corn,"  and  so  on.  Likewise  with 
other  topics.  She  breaks  up  a  subject  and  sets  a  larger 
number  of  persons  to  thinking  and  talking  about  its 
specific  parts. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  best  Grange  programs  con- 
sist of  a  "  balanced  ration," — that  is,  some  solids,  some 
bulk,  and  some  spice.  The  farm  and  the  home  topics, 
and  public  questions  furnish  the  solids ;  the  music,  reci- 
tations, and  reading  furnish  the  bulk ;  and  the  "  sur- 
prise features,"  the  plays  and  the  refreshments,  supply 
the  spice  or  relish.  When  any  of  these  elements  are 
lacking  the  program  is  too  heavy  on  the  one  side  or  too 
light  on  the  other.  The  balanced  program  has  come  to 
be  the  ideal  for  a  Grange.  A  writer  on  this  theme 
says :  "  By  all  means  let  us  keep  our  Grange  a  Grange — 
not  turn  it  into  something  else.  A  tendency  to  trans- 
form it  into  a  playhouse  or  a  prayer  meeting  should'  be 
speedily  checked ;  one  is  as  bad  as  the  other."  The  dis- 
criminating Lecturer  appreciates  the  need  of  both  light 
and  serious  numbers  on  her  program  in  order  to  accom- 
plish her  purposes.  The  remark  of  a  very  practical, 
unsentimental  housekeeper  comes  to  mind  just  now;  she 
said :  "  I  always  like  radishes  for  my  table ;  they  add 
such  a  pretty  touch  of  color  to  it."    The  Lecturer  has 


METHODS  m  LECTUKE  WORK  111 

abundant  use  for  touches  of  color  in  every  program — 
the  things  that  enliven  and  delight.  Radishes  are  good 
to  eat,  but  they  are  attractive,  too.  Herein  lies  a  secret 
of  the  successful  Lecturer ;  she  sugar-coats  the  medicine 
she  gives,  if  you  wish  to  put  it  that  way.  In  still  other 
words,  she  gives  thought  to  the  details  of  her  program. 
She  does  not  serve  simply  two  or  three  dishes  of  solid 
food  without  adding  relishes  and  inviting  side-dishes, 
neither  does  she  serve  pie  and  cake  alone.  Program 
making  is  an  art  just  as  much  as  picture  making,  fine 
music,  or  dress  making,  or  laying  out  and  planting  a  field 
so  that  it  presents  a  creditable  appearance  when  finished. 
Therefore  care  must  be  given  to  details, — the  music, 
the  occasional  recitation,  reading,  humorous  anecdote, 
and  such  exhibits  as  will  illustrate  and  drive  home  the 
more  serious  meanings  of  any  program  effort. 

Music. — Music  is  a  lure  by  which  a  skilful  Lecturer 
may  entice  a  fallen  Grange  out  of  most  of  its  dilemmas. 
All  the  well-known  means  of  using  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music  to  cheer,  to  thrill,  and  to  uplift  a  gathering 
of  people  apply  to  its  use  in  a  Grange  program.  Indeed, 
fine  music  should  be  emphasized  for  country  people  more 
than  it  has  been,  since  they  do  not  have  the  privilege  of 
the  frequent  concerts  given  in  cities,  and  in  very  many 
sections  even  yet  music  is  not  taught  in  rural  schools. 
The  Grange  has  a  large  opportunity  to  serve  its  people 
through  calling  them  to  sing  together  and  to  listen 
occasionally  to  highly  trained  musicians.  The  Lec- 
turer who  appreciates  the  service  of  music  in  unlocking 
the  best  of  human  traits  uses  it  frequently  and  in  vari- 
ous ways  throughout  her  programs.     Now  and  then  a 


112  THE  GBANGE  LECTUEER 

Grange  hires  a  music  teacher  to  set  it  on  the  "  singing 
way,"  but  usually  a  person  with  sufficient  training  may 
be  found  within  the  membership  to  act  as  leader  for 
community  singing  and  a  Grange  choir.  It  is  not  suffi- 
cient to  draw  the  musical  young  people  within  the 
Grange's  circle  of  singers  and  players.  It  is  at  least 
desirable  that  the  "  community  singing "  shall  be  so 
hearty  and  spontaneous  that  all  will  sing  in  their  hearts, 
if  not  with  their  voices.  In  the  possession  of  every 
Grange  exists  unguessed  treasures  of  musical  ability 
which  should  be  discovered  and  developed.  There  are 
old  instruments  stored  away  at  home  that  should  be 
coaxed  into  the  Grange  hall;  there  are  stiffened  fingers 
that  should  be  induced  to  try  the  strings  once  more.  In 
some  homes,  too,  are  fine-toned  Victrolas  which  may 
be  borrowed  to  enrich  a  program.  Skilled  musicians 
may  live  in  the  vicinity  or  visit  every  Grange  occasion- 
ally and  such  people  are  usually  glad  to  share  the  de- 
lights of  their  art.  Even  a  Lecturer  who  is  herself  lack- 
ing in  musical  ability  may  do  very,  very  much  good  for 
her  Grange  through  the  introduction  of  varied  musical 
features. 

Recitations  and  readings. — Members  who  do  not  sing 
or  play  can  often  recite  or  read  well.  Entertainment 
and  sometimes  striking  lessons  are  thus  brought  into 
the  program.  Many  of  the  readings  given  in  almost 
every  locality  are  of  a  very  mediocre  quality,  when 
judged  as  literature.  The  same  may  be  said  of  a  large 
proportion  of  the  popular  songs  and  plays.  Jt  is  a 
pity  that  amusement  standards  of  rural  people  should 
suffer  so  much  from  the  practice  of  allowing  the  ave- 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  113 

nues  of  entertainment  in  small  towns  to  be  so  thoroughly 
commercialized.  To  offset  the  influence  produced  by 
motion-picture  shows  and  cheap  plays  the  Grange  needs 
to  give  a  strong  tonic  of  more  wholesome  recreation.  A 
Lecturer  will  not  waste  her  time  who  searches  long  and 
far  to  find  high-grade  poems  for  her  members  to  memo- 
rize, and  to  select  readings  that  are  simple  and  elevated 
in  tone  and  and  language.  By  precept  and  example  she 
may  do  something  to  counteract  the  effects  of  undesir- 
able amusements. 

Dramatization. — What  has  already  been  said  of  the 
quality  of  other  entertaining  features  introduced  into  a 
Grange  program  applies  with  even  more  force  to  the 
plays  that  are  staged.  Plays,  acted  parts  in  tableaux, 
character  songs,  and  recitations — all  such  efforts  afford 
one  of  the  happiest  mediums  of  developing  the  young 
people  of  a  Grange.  The  Lecturer  is  wise  who  looks 
beyond  the  evening's  success  of  the  play  and  coaches 
her  members  with  care  because  of  the  salutary  effects 
of  such  training.  Whatever  dramatic  characters  young 
people  assume,  that  they  are  for  the  time  being.  For 
this  reason  it  is  highly  important  that  the  parts  taken 
shall  be  such  as  will  ennoble  and  inspire.  Charades, 
pageants,  and  dramatized  cartoons  make  effective  fea- 
tures to  present  during  the  lecture  hour.  Since  curi- 
osity whets  interest,  it  has  been  found  a  good  plan  to 
announce  these  merely  as  "  Surprise  Features  "  in  the 
advance  advertising  of  the  program. 

Comparatively  few  plays  have  been  written  with  a 
successful  appeal  to  greater  love  for  country  life  and 
its  institutions,   although  many  of  opposite  character 


114  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

are  easily  found.  Among  the  wholesome  and  accurate 
representations  of  the  farm  and  its  social  life  are  the 
plays  written  by  Dora  Hall  Stockman,  at  present  Lec- 
turer of  Michigan  State  Grange.  She  has  written  a 
volume  of  short  plays,  out  of  her  experience  in  a  farm 
home  and  in  rural  institutions;  most  of  these  are  ad- 
mirably fitted  to  use  as  Surprise  Features  or  as  restful 
interludes  in  otherwise  heavy  programs.  A  somewhat 
longer  play  *  by  the  same  writer  depicting  the  effect  of 
a  Grange  on  a  forlorn  farm  home  and  its  neighborhood 
has  been  mentioned  in  another  chapter.  This  play  was 
staged  by  Vergennes  Subordinate  Grange,  as  a  com- 
pliment to  members  of  the  National  Grange  when  that 
body  met  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  in  1919.  It  has 
been  the  means  in  n^any  other  states  of  leading  scores  of 
outsiders  to  see  the  Grange  as  an  educational  institution 
in  a  true  and  broad  sense,  and,  as  such  an  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Order,  this  little  play  ranks  among  the  finest 
flowers  of  Grange  literature. 

Choice  of  participants. — The  Lecturer  who  has 
studied  her  members  quite  as  much  as  she  has  her 
topics  will  not  often  be  troubled  to  find  a  speaker  for 
a  subject  she  wishes  presented.  But  now  and  then  a 
topic  does  not  easily  suggest  the  right  person  to  handle 
it,  and  it  must  be  assigned  to  some  member  who  has 
the  faculty  of  delving  into  new  subjects.  Because  the 
first  choice  of  a  member  to  present  a  certain  topic  often 
fails  to  bring  out  all  its  points,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to 
assign  it  to  two  or  three  at  the  same  time. 

* "  The   Coming   of   Happy  Valley   Grange  to  Hard   Scrabble 
Hollow,"  by  Mrs.  Dora  H.  Stockman,  Lansing,  Mich. 


METHODS  m  LECTURE  WORK  115 

To  use  children  frequently  should  be  a  cardinal  prin- 
ciple with  every  Lecturer.  Continuance  and  future 
prosperity  of  the  Order  depend  upon  the  children.  Al- 
ways allow  them  to  attend  the  program  hour  and  see  that 
some  part  at  least  is  made  interesting  for  them.  Chil- 
dren love  to  be  useful  in  many  little  ways;  they  are 
eager  to  assist  in  errands  and  to  take  part  in  the  pro- 
gram. Such  service  helps  them,  their  parents,  and  the 
Grange. 

The  true  teacher-Lecturer  aims  to  lead  as  many  dif- 
ferent members  to  take  part  in  the  program  as  is  con- 
sistent with  time  and  practical  results.  This  is  a  first- 
class  rule,  especially  for  small  Granges  or  one  whose 
members  do  not  readily  take  part  in  program  work. 
Where  membership  is  large  or  where  there  is  danger  of 
some  members  taking  too  much  time,  we  must  limit 
either  the  number  of  participants  or  the  time  each  may 
use.  It  has  been  observed  that  wherever  a  large  propor- 
tion of  the  Grange  shares  in  any  exercise,  the  social  or 
fraternal  feeling  is  increased.  For  this  purpose  Lec- 
turers occasionally  introduce  a  march,  fancy  drill,  or 
other  co-operative  exercise  into  their  program. 

Sometimes  use  an  outside  speaker;  by  this  is  meant 
someone  who  is  not  a  member  of  the  local  Grange.  It 
may  be  a  Grange  speaker  or  other  person  from  a  dis- 
tance, or  it  may  be  a  county  official  or  professional 
man  from  town ;  it  may  be  an  exceptionally  good  fanner 
outside  the  Grange  who  is  asked  to  come  in  and  tell  how 
he  runs  his  dairy  or  cares  for  his  orchard ;  or  it  may 
be  a  member  of  a  near-by  Grange  who  is  invited  over  to 
discuss  some  topic.     But  it  is  not  wise  to  depend  over- 


116  THE  GEANGE  LECTUEEE 

much  on  outside  speakers  in  the  local  Grange  program 
for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  lecture  hour  is  a 
training  school  for  the  development  of  its  own  mem- 
bers. Yet  the  occasional  address  by  one  outside  the 
immediate  membership  tends  to  prevent  narrowness  and 
conceit.  If,  upon  such  an  occasion,  the  Grange  holds 
an  open  meeting,  the  result  may  be  to  bring  new  mem- 
bers and  widen  acquaintance  with  Grange  aims  and 
achievements. 

Providing  wroqram  helps. — So  far  as  she  is  able  the 
Lecturer  should  be  prepared  to  tell  a  member  where  he 
can  find  helps  upon  any  subject  she  has  assigned  him. 
If  she  reads  an  article  or  book  which  suggests  a  usable 
subject,  she  should  supply  the  printed  material  or  give 
information  as  to  where  it  may  be  found.  All  members 
should  be  urged  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  on  what  they 
read  and  to  preserve  or  bring  to  the  Lecturer  whatever 
seems  to  them  of  value  in  preparing  for  lecture-hour  dis- 
cussions. 

Publicity. — A  successful  Lecturer  once  said  she  some- 
times announces  as  one  feature  of  her  program  this : 
"  Something  you  will  have  to  come  to  find  out  about." 
Another  Lecturer  confessed  that  her  best  helpers  were 
"  a  little  bit  of  mystery  and  printer's  ink."  Both  ad- 
vertised their  programs  by  appealing  to  the  very  human 
trait  of  curiosity.  May  not  both  factors  have  con- 
tributed to  their  re-election  year  after  year  ? 

The  largest  and  best  all-round  Granges  in  every  state 
are  those  that  advertise  their  meetings  by  all  available 
means, — verbal  announcement,  press,  telephone,  and 
mail;  especially  do  they  make  known  the  questions  to 


METHODS  m  LECTURE  WOEK  117 

be  considered  in  their  program  hours.  Such  systematic 
advertising  always  brings  direct  results  in  added  mem- 
bers and  in  increased  influence  of  the  Grange  in  com- 
munity affairs.  The  Lecturer  "who  fails  to  avail  herself 
of  this  help  is  like  the  man  who  uses  a  cradle  after 
he  owns  a  self-binder. 

What  is  Grange  news? — Many  Lecturers  are  them- 
selves press  reporters  for  their  Granges;  others  are 
regularly  interviewed  by  reporters.  To  such  the  follow- 
ing suggestions  by  a  skilled  Grange  writer  will  be  wel- 
come and,  if  followed,  will  improve  the  quality  of  much 
of  our  Grange  reporting  for  the  local  press.  J.  W. 
Darrow,  of  Chatham,  1ST.  Y.,  who  for  many  years  pre- 
pared the  Grange  page  for  use  of  the  Associated  Press, 
once  stated: 

I  desire  information  relative  to  important  Grange  mat- 
ters such  as  relate  to  co-operative  buying  or  selling,  edu- 
cational work,  community  service,  co-operation  with  the 
schools,  churches,  or  other  fraternal  organizations — in 
short,  anything  that  you  think  other  members  of  the  Order 
would  be  interested  to  know.  In  respect  to  co-operative 
baying  I  wish  to  know  the  amount  or  number  of  articles 
purchased  during  the  year,  value  of  the  same,  saving  to 
members,  etc.  And  in  regard  to  community  service,  tell  me 
what,  if  anything,  your  Grange  is  doing  to  promote  the 
interests  of  the  community,  town,  or  county,  as  for  in- 
stance, in  village  improvement,  support  of  charitable  in- 
stitutions like  county  hospitals  and  visiting  nurses,  regu- 
lation of  sanitary  conditions,  improved  highways,  village 
reading  rooms,  entertainments,  etc.,  etc. 


118  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

A  model  Grange  report. — Before  me  is  what  I  con- 
sider a  model  Grange  report.  This  appeared  in  the 
Grange  department  of  an  enterprising  local  paper  and 
occupied  nearly  a  column  of  space.  There  were  other 
Grange  reports,  not  so  long,  on  the  same  page;  and 
another  paper  of  the  same  town  maintains  a  special 
Grange  department.  It  speaks  well  for  the  press  that 
it  recognizes  in  the  Grange  one  of  the  constructive 
forces  of  the  locality,  and,  incidentally,  it  is  interesting 
to  know  that  the  county  in  which  such  fine  Grange  ad- 
vertising is  done  ranks  as  one  of  the  strongest  Grange 
-counties  of  its  state. 

I  have  referred  to  this  particular  Grange  report  as  a 
model,  and  now  let  me  analyze  it  as  such.  There  is  a 
wide  difference  between  some  Grange  reports  and  a 
model  report,  often  because  the  press  reporter  does  not 
understand  which  features  to  enlarge  upon  and  which  to 
touch  lightly ;  and,  again,  a  press  report  may  not  amount 
to  much  simply  because  there  has  not  been  much  in  the 
meeting  to  chronicle.  This  report  is  a  good  one,  first 
of  all,  because  there  was  plenty  of  material  for  the 
reporter  to  put  into  a  write-up ;  and,  for  a  second  reason, 
the  reporter  caught  the  salient  facts  and  set  them  down. 
This  Grange  did  things,  apparently,  from  start  to  finish. 
Moreover,  the  report  shows  that  the  Grange  has  equip- 
ment so  that  several  activities  may  be  conducted  at  one 
time,  reaching  different  ages  and  tastes.  The  reader 
learns  that  after  the  opening  business  the  girls  went  to 
the  kitchen  and,  under  the  supervision  of  two  women, 
prepared  tea  and  light  refreshments  which  they  served 
later ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  boys  retired  to  another 


METHODS  IN  LECTUEE  WORK  119 

room  where  they  planned  club  work  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  teacher  of  agriculture  of  the  city  schools. 
Meanwhile,  led  by  the  officers,  the  older  members  of  the 
Grange  laid  plans  for  the  ensuing  year  and  discussed 
matters  concerning  rural  school  improvement.  The  re- 
porter goes  somewhat  into  detail  as  to  these  discussions, 
and  that  is  one  of  the  model  features  of  the  report ;  peo- 
ple care  more  to  know  what  was  said  during  a  discussion 
than  to  learn  merely  that  a  certain  topic  "  was  dis- 
cussed." The  business  session  was  devoted  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  exceedingly  important  matter  of  form- 
ing a  co-operative  elevator  company,  somewhat  along 
the  lines  of  the  stock  shipping  association  promoted  by 
this  same  Grange  the  year  before.  Announcements  were 
made  of  a  special  meeting  to  discuss  further  the  co- 
operative project  and  of  a  Grange  social,  both  indicat- 
ing how  this  Grange  keeps  something  continually  before 
its  members.  Besides  the  considerable  quantity  of  heavy 
work  accomplished  at  this  meeting,  there  were  readings 
and  some  particularly  fine  music, — features  which  ap- 
peal to  some  whom  the  heavier  part  of  the  program  does 
not  attract.  The  names  of  the  participants  and  the 
titles  of  their  selections  appear  in  the  report,  In  giv- 
ing notice  of  the  proposed  co-operative  meeting  the  re- 
porter listed  the  menu  for  the  dinner — a  very  excellent 
idea,  as  such  announcement  wards  off  the  pot-luck  type 
of  Grange  feast.  At  this  same  meeting  the  Master  an- 
nounced committee  appointments  for  the  year,  and  the 
report  gives  the  names  of  appointees  on  each  committee 
so  that  members  have  them  listed  for  reference  and  those 
not  present  may  read  them  in  the  paper.     A  noticeable 


120  THE  GEANGE  LECTURER 

fact  about  these  committees  is  their  unusual  number, 
showing  how  the  officers  divide  responsibility  and  enlist 
as  many  of  their  membership  as  possible  in  special 
activities  undertaken  by  the  Grange.  Besides  the  usual 
committees  there  is  a  "  Kitchen  committee "  and  a 
"  Dining-room  committee,"  both  changing  quarterly ; 
then  there  are  captains  of  each  of  four  degree  teams, 
and  committees  upon  "  Good  of  Order,"  "  Women's 
Work,"  "  Dances,"  "  Entertainments,"  and  "  Educa- 
tion." 

A  press  reporter  who  sifts  out  the  gist  of  a  meeting  in 
such  a  fashion  as  this  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  that 
Grange,  whether  recognized  as  such  or  not.  And  a 
Grange  that  furnishes  its  reporter  with  such  substantial 
material  to  report  is  one  that  has  rare  leadership.  Such 
officers  plan  their  Grange  work  and  they  also  work  their 
plan.  They  see  visions  and  work  to  materialize  them. 
Perhaps  they  do  not  often  recall  that  the  old  prophet 
said :  "  Without  vision  the  people  perish  " ;  but  whether 
or  no,  they  work  on  the  prophet's  principle  in  conduct- 
ing their  Grange. 

Printed  programs. — One  of  the  practical  turns  lec- 
ture work  has  taken  in  recent  years  is  the  tendency 
to  announce  programs  considerably  in  advance.  Most 
Granges  that  do  this  also  print  their  programs,  dis- 
tribute them  among  their  own  members,  and  exchange 
with  other  Granges.  The  aims  to  be  attained  through 
these  plans  are  better  dissemination  of  Grange  informa- 
tion among  the  entire  membership;  better  attendance 
because  reference  to  the  printed  program  informs  mem- 
bers as  to  dates  and  places  of  meetings;  and,  greatest 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  121 

of  all,  assurance  of  better  preparation  for  the  parts 
assigned.  This  last  point  is  pre-eminently  the  shining 
goal  always  before  the  ambitious  Lecturer.  If  a  single 
member  can  be  induced,  either  directly  or  by  adroit 
means,  to  go  to  new  sources  outside  himself  for  informa- 
tion on  the  topic  assigned  him,  it  is  a  victory.  By 
notifying  a  member  several  weeks  or  months  in  advance 
of  the  time  he  is  expected  to  present  a  topic,  the  Lec- 
turer gives  him  little  excuse  for  failure  and  much  in- 
centive to  prepare  his  part  well.  Considerable  experi- 
ence with  the  use  of  the  advance  program  has  revealed 
some  marked  examples  of  painstaking  preparation  ex- 
tending over  more  than  the  time  ordinarily  allowed  for 
such.  The  work  of  each  quarter  has  laid  like  a  map 
before  the  Lecturer  and  she  in  turn  has  been  able  to  plan 
its  proportions  carefully.  The  printed  programs  have 
been  in  demand  both  with  the  home  Grange  and  with 
those  of  neighboring  localities.  How  much  of  the  in- 
creased attendance  is  due  to  them  is  not  known,  but 
doubtless  it  is  considerable. 

Some  Granges  print  their  programs  for  a  year  in 
advance.  Theoretically  this  method  has  the  advantage  of 
unifying  the  work  of  the  whole  year  and  giving  a  still 
longer  time  for  preparation.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  not 
a  plan  that  will  work  itself.  Programs  must  needs  be 
followed  up  at  the  time  of  presentation,  much  the  same 
as  if  just  issued,  as  some  will  overlook  their  assign- 
ments; there  will  occur  unavoidable  vacancies;  and 
there  will  unexpectedly  arise  vital  questions  that  must 
be  inserted  to  keep  the  work  up  to  date.  Moreover, 
members  recently  admitted  should  be  used  on  the  pro- 


122  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

gram  before  the  year  is  over.  By  confining  the  issue 
of  advance  programs  of  Subordinate  Granges  to  the 
quarter,  these  objections  are  obviated  in  large  measure. 

CONDUCTING  THE  PROGRAM 

When  the  Master  reaches  the  head  of  "  Literary  Ex- 
ercises "  on  the  general  order  of  the  Grange,  the  Lec- 
turer assumes  charge  and  conducts  the  program  she  has 
prepared.  All  the  tact  and  perseverance,  all  the  radiat- 
ing good  cheer  with  which  she  has  been  endowed,  should 
now  be  called  into  play.  Remembering  that  diffident 
natures  blossom  best  under  friendly  eyes,  she  summons, 
too,  her  reserve  forces  of  confidence  in  certain  of  the 
timid  members  who  have  been  assigned  parts  on  the 
program.  While  it  is  true  that  in  the  best  conducted 
Grange  programs  the  Lecturer  does  little  talking,  yet 
she  can  add  much  to  the  success  of  the  meetings  by  care- 
ful attention  to  the  few  remarks  with  which  she  intro- 
duces the  members  who  take  part.  A  brief  and  pointed 
word  of  explanation  may  be  given  also  regarding  some 
of  the  topics  announced,  or  concerning  the  author  or 
subject  of  a  recitation  or  song.  Thus  the  Lecturer  may 
often  add  to  the  effect  of  the  whole  program  by  linking 
its  parts  together. 

Encouragement  of  discussion. — It  bears  repeating 
that  the  vital  aim  of  any  Grange  program  must  be  the. 
increasing  expression  by  the  members  of  their  own 
opinions  and  convictions.  This  is  best  accomplished  by 
throwing  the  meeting  open  for  general  discussion  after 
a  subject  has  been  presented  by  the  one  to  whom  it  was 


METHODS  IN"  LECTURE  WORK  123 

previously  assigned.  In  proportion  as  a  Lecturer  suc- 
ceeds in  enlisting  her  members  to  discuss  topics  brought 
before  the  Grange,  so  is  her  success. 

A  number  of  years  ago,  when  I  was  serving  as  Lec- 
turer of  Michigan  State  Grange,  a  co-worker  put  into 
my  hands  an  article  clipped  from  a  current  number 
of  the  magazine  known  as  The  Circle.  It  included  a  de- 
scription of  a  Grange  lecture  hour,  and  so  admirably 
did  it  set  forth  the  tactics  of  a  teacher-like  Lecturer 
that  I  circulated  it  as  widely  as  possible  among  the  other 
Lecturers  of  my  state;  and  now,  in  the  belief  that  it 
may  prove  helpful  to  a  yet  larger  number  who  are  wres- 
tling with  the  problem  of  getting  discussions  upon  seri- 
ous themes,  I  am  making  it  a  part  of  this  chapter  upon 
lecture-hour  methods. 

Brother  Burritt's  Gold  Mine. — The  Lecturer  was  a 
woman.  The  subject  she  had  set  for  the  evening  was : 
"  Potatoes — how  shall  we  grow  them  for  bigger  yields 
and  higher  quality? 


?> 


The  Lecturer  called  upon  one  after  another  for  an  ac- 
count of  their  methods  and  experiences.  Some  were  good 
talkers  and  spoke  interestingly  and  helpfully.  Others  were 
backward,  ill  at  ease,  plainly  did  not  know  how  to  formu- 
late expression  in  a  dozen  words  about  practices  in  which 
they  were  highly  proficient.  This  is  the  Lecturer's  oppor- 
tunity to  get  them  to  thinking,  to  draw  them  out.  There 
was  one  brother  who  was  notably  a  good  potato  grower — a 
wrinkled,  stooping,  kindly-faced  old  man.  Several  times 
he  arose  as  the  Lecturer  called  upon  him,  only  to  sit  down 
again,  saying,  "  I  ain't  no  talker." 


124  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

"  Brother  Burrftt,"  persisted  the  Lecturer,  "  you  know 
more  than  any  of  us  about  growing  potatoes ;  what  can  you 
tell  us  of  your  methods  ?  " 

"  I  dunno,"  for  all  the  world  like  a  schoolboy  who  has 
forgotten  his  piece. 

"  What  kind  of  seed  do  you  use  ?  " 

"  Best  I  can  buy." 

"  What  variety  do  you  find  best  ?  " 

"  Green  Mountain  and  Irish  Cobbler  do  best  by  me  now. 
I've  planted  different  kinds;  some  used  to  do  well,  but 
don't  seem  to  do  no  good  no  more  around  here." 

This  was  jerked  out  a  few  words  at  a  time. 

He  sat  down  quickly,  hoping  the  inquisition  was  over. 

"  How  do  you  plant,  whole  tubers  or  cut  ?  "  persisted  the 
Lecturer. 

"  Cut.  About  two  or  three  eyes  to  a  piece.  Not  par- 
tickler." 

"  How  much  fertilizer  do  you  use  ?  " 

"  All  I  can  get.  Never  been  able  to  get  more  than  I 
would  use  yet." 

"  How  do  you  apply  your  fertilizers  ?  " 

"  Depends." 

"On  what?" 

"  If  it's  strawy,  I'd  plow  it  in ;  if  well-rotted,  I'd  top- 
dress  after  plowing  in  the  fall." 

"  Do  you  always  plow  in  the  fall  ?  " 

"  Depends." 

"On  what?" 

"  Condition  of  ground,  and  what  I  intend  to  plant.  If 
I  had  a  good  stand  of  clover  I'd  wait  till  spring  and  let 
it  get  a  good  start  and  then  plow  it  under." 

"  For  potatoes  ?  " 

"  Potatoes  or  anything." 


METHODS  IN  LECTUEE  WOEK  125 


<c 


Do  you  use  commercial  fertilizers  ?  " 

"  'Tain't  much  good  tryin'  to  farm  without." 

"With  potatoes ?" 

"  Potatoes  or  anything  to  my  way  of  thinking." 

"  How  much  to  a  hill  ?  "  added  the  Lecturer. 

"  About  half  a  pound  of  the  best  quality.  I  mix  my 
own  and  I  know  what  I'm  using." 

"  You  would  not  trust  to  the  ground  being  rich  enough  to 
give  you  a  good  crop  with  stable  manure  alone  ?  " 

"  No.  If  I  could  put  on  thirty  to  forty  tons  to  the  acre 
year  after  year  I  might  risk  it.  But  where  I  am  stable 
manure  isn't  easily  got.  I  reckon  to  about  double  the  crop 
after  doin'  everything  else  I  can  to  fit  the  ground  by  usin' 
commercial  fertilizer." 

"  It  seems  to  be  your  experience,  Brother  Burritt,  that 
it's  not  much  good  trying  to  raise  potatoes  in  this  section 
without  heavy  fertilizing?" 

"  That's  so,  but  that  ain't  all.  If  you  don't  cultivate 
right  and  spray  right  your  fertilizing  won't  do  it  alone.  I 
set  myself  for  about  three  hundred  bushel  to  the  acre  and 
I  reckon  to  divide  it  in  about  three.  For  the  fittin'  of  the 
ground  and  right  cultivatin'  about  a  hundred;  for  right 
fertilizin'  about  a  hundred ;  and  for  right  sprayin'  about  a 
hundred.  The  weather  I  throw  in  for  good  measure,  'tain't 
no  use  worryin'  about  that.  If  it's  fav'rable  and  you've 
done  your  part,  then  crops  is  good.  If  it  ain't,  then  you 
lose.  But  you  won't  lose  so  much  even  then  if  you  does 
what's  right.  In  farmin'  you  got  to  know  what  to  do  and 
then  do  it,  no  matter  what  the  odds  against  you,  and  then 
most  times  after  the  fight's  over  you're  not  clean  busted 
up." 

There  was  more  in  the  article  to  the  same  purpose.    It 


126  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

was  like  pulling  teeth  to  get  Brother  Burritt  to  talk, 
but  he  overcame  his  timidity  toward  the  end  and  made 
a  real  contribution  to  the  lecture  hour. 

Points  to  consider. — Brother  Burritt  is  exactly  the 
sort  of  man  that  one  finds  everywhere.  He  is  in  your 
Grange,  and  he  attends  the  same  Grange  I  do.  A  study 
of  the  method  by  which  this  Lecturer  secured  his  assist- 
ance in  discussion  is  well  worth  any  Lecturer's  time. 
Notice,  first,  the  use  of  tact ;  second,  perseverance ;  and, 
third,  observe  her  familiarity  with  the  subject  she  was 
trying  to  get  the  man  to  talk  upon, — she  knew  potatoes, 
at  least  well  enough  to  ask  questions  about  them. 
Brother  Burritt  had,  stored  up  in  him,  a  genuine  mine 
of  valuable  information,  gathered  from  experience  and 
observation,  but  his  Lecturer  had  to  use  the  pick  and 
shovel  of  her  profession  in  order  to  unearth  it.  An- 
other time  he  will  yield  up  his  treasures  with  less  effort 
on  the  Lecturer's  part,  and  it  will  be  a  less  painful 
process  for  him. 

How  many,  many  times  have  other  Lecturers  called 
upon  a  "  Brother  Burritt  "  and  utterly  failed  to  get 
at  the  gold  they  knew  was  stored  in  his  mind!  Why 
did  these  Lecturers  fail  ?  Was  it  for  lack  of  tact,  per- 
severance, or  familiarity  with  the  subject  under  dis- 
cussion,— one,  two,  or  all  of  these?  If  a  Lecturer  is 
born  tactful,  she  may  be  thankful.  If  she  is  not,  she 
need  not  despair,  but  should  cultivate  this  quality ;  then 
exercise  perseverance;  and  make  herself  so  familiar 
with  the  main  topics  on  her  program  that  nothing  that 
seems  like  stubbornness  or  lack  of  education  or  con- 
fidence or  anything  else  will  keep  the  member,  who 


METHODS  IN  LECTUKE  WORK  127 

really  knows  something  about  the  subject,  from  helping 
her. 

Use  of  objects,  exhibits,  etc. — Lecturers  who  use  all 
possible  resources  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  people 
learn  more  quickly  and  remember  more  vividly  the  im- 
pressions that  they  receive  through   sight  than  those 
they  receive  through  hearing.     They  make  an  ally  of 
this  fact  by  the  free  use  of  objects,  illustrations,  and 
exhibits  of  many  sorts.     If  a  member  brings  to  a  meet- 
ing an  extra-sized  potato,  or  a  nearly  perfect  ear  of 
corn,  he  should  be  ranked  in  the  Lecturer's  estimation 
as  having  contributed  to  the  educational  training  of  the 
hour.     He  has  offered  the  Lecturer  an  opportunity  to 
ask  him  concerning  the  culture  that  produced  so  good  a 
specimen;  and  this  very  simple  act  on  his  part  cultivates 
the  man  himself.    It  was  Ruskin  who  said :  "  The  great- 
est thing  a  human  soul  ever  did  in  this  world  is  to  see 
something  and  tell  what  it  saw  in  a  plain  way."    In  the 
ideal  Grange  there  will  be  a  table  in  the  hall  set  apart 
for    exhibits.     During    the    interval    between    Grange 
nights,   every   member  who   finds   a   particularly   fine 
product  of  his  orchard  or  field  or  garden,  or  discovers 
an   especially   interesting   blossom   of  the  wayside   or 
flower-border,  will,  if  possible,  preserve  it  and  take  it 
to  the  Grange  for  the  exhibit  table.    Relics,  curiosities, 
and  oddities,  as  well  as  the  new  and  novel  of  modern 
times,  will  find  a  place  there.    Whatever  is  brought  will 
serve  as  a  contribution  to  the  lecture  hour.     Perhaps 
people  will  look  at  the  exhibit  only  during  intermission, 
but  more  often  questions  will  be  asked  and  answered 
regarding  the  specimens.     Valuable   information  will 


128  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

thus  be  given  and  members  will  remember  because  they 
saw  as  well  as  heard. 

Art  of  questioning. — The  art  of  questioning  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  lead  a  person  from  the  expression  of  one 
thought  to  another  of  wider  scope  has  been  the  subject 
of  volumes.  Perusal  of  them  might  help  a  Lecturer, 
but  practise  of  the  art  is  her  surest  method  of  attaining 
it.  New  Lecturers  need  especially  to  appreciate  some- 
thing of  the  value  that  lies  in  knowing  how  to  ask  ques- 
tions. They  will  find  abundant  opportunity  to  use  such 
knowledge  both  in  and  out  of  the  lecture  hour  proper. 
To  avoid  asking  direct  questions  is  a  growing  Lec- 
turer's first  precaution ;  for,  if  a  shy  member  can  safely 
say  "  Yes  "  or  "  No  "  he  immediately  does  so  and  re- 
tires into  silence,  forcing  the  Lecturer  to  try  a  new 
tack. 

A  new  Lecturer,  who  evidently  had  not  practised  the 
question  method,  once  stated  her  troubles  in  these  words : 
"  We  have  about  one  hundred  members  who  are  will- 
ing to  do  anything  but  discuss  topics.  I  have  never 
seen  them  carry  on  a  lively  discussion."  Now,  such  a 
situation  as  this  may  not  really  be  as  discouraging  as 
it  at  first  seems  to  be.  It  is  probable  that  it  is  due 
simply  to  want  of  development  on  the  part  of  the  people, 
who  may  never  have  practised  expressing  themselves. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  come  from  want  of  a 
leader.  If  this  latter  is  true,  this  Lecturer  has  met  her 
big  opportunity;  for  it  depends  very  largely  upon  that 
officer  to  lead  this  fine  body  of  one  hundred  men  and 
women  into  the  art  of  discussing  topics,  or,  what  is  the 
same  thing,  the  habit  of  saying  what  they  think  in 


METHODS  IN  LECTUEE  WOEK  129 

orderly  fashion  before  other  folks  who  are  much  like 
themselves.  If  you  are  the  Lecturer,  how  shall  you  go 
about  it  ?  First,  do  not  make  any  grand  flourish  of 
plans,  but  simply  announce  a  program  in  advance.  Put 
upon  that  program  at  least  one  carefully  selected  sub- 
ject that  you  know  will  be  quite  familiar  to  all  or  many 
of  your  members.  When  you  announce  the  topic  at  the 
meeting,  call  first  upon  the  person  you  feel  is  most  sure 
to  respond.  In  case  he  says  a  few  words  and  sits  down, 
quietly  ask  him  questions  that  will  draw  him  out  fur- 
ther. Do  not  ask  him  to  rise,  and  in  no  other  way 
call  attention  to  his  having  disappointed  you.  Have 
your  questions  so  well  in  mind  that  you  are  prepared 
for  a  regular  siege  until,  by  some  means,  you  have 
excited  contrary  opinions  or  awakened  latent  thought 
upon  the  subject  in  hand.  To  take  the  contrary  side  and 
invite  opposite  views  often  succeeds  when  other  means 
fail.  As  I  have  repeatedly  stated,  much  depends  upon 
fitting  a  topic  to  the  person  who  is  to  handle  it.  After 
this,  more  than  half  the  rest  depends  also  upon  the  Lec- 
turer. Therefore  your  people  must  be  studied  even 
more  than  your  program  helps ;  you  should  make  your- 
self familiar  with  their  successful  lines  of  fanning,  or 
other  work ;  above  all,  discover  their  fads,  what  they  do 
for  the  love  of  it,  and  prepare  to  bombard  them  with 
questions  along  those  lines.  Remember,  "  fail  "  is  not 
in  the  dictionary  of  a  Lecturer  who  will  do  these  things. 
Two  very  simple  methods  of  inducing  people  to  take 
part  in  general  discussion  are  a  roll-call  exercise  and 
a  question  box.  There  may  be  some  new  Lecturer  who 
does  not  know  what  is  meant  by  the  "  roll-call  "  in  this 


130  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

sense;  very  many  Lecturers  ask  their  members  to  come 
prepared  to  respond  briefly  at  the  calling  of  the  roll  by 
giving  some  fact  or  quotation  or  by  answering  some 
question;  it  is  expected  that  every  person  present  will 
feel  under  obligation  to  respond, — in  fact  the  success 
of  the  exercise  lies  largely  in  the  extent  to  which  every 
member  rises  to  that  responsibility.  When  the  Grange 
is  new  or  many  of  the  members  are  strange  to  program 
work,  the  Lecturer  selects  a  subject  that  is  easy  to  dis- 
cuss, and  undertakes  to  secure  a  response  from  every 
person  present.  She  is  patient,  keeps  smiling,  and  will 
not  take  a  shake  of  the  head  for  an  answer,  but  simply 
plies  a  question  from  another  angle  of  the  subject  when  a 
member  hesitates  to  participate.  She  does  not  insist 
that  the  member  rise  to  answer,  since  she  knows  he  will 
soon  do  as  others  do  if  she  keeps  him  in  practice.  Little 
by  little,  if  she  is  faithful  and  enthusiastic  herself  about 
her  program,  she  may  safely  ask  questions  that  require 
more  extended  replies.  Above  all,  she  should  not  be- 
come discouraged,  for  if,  by  dint  of  much  persistence, 
she  succeeds  in  inducing  members  voluntarily  to  take 
part  in  discussions,  she  has  planted  in  them  invaluable 
habits  of  mental  and  social  co-operation. 

SIDELIGHTS    ON    LECTURE    HOUR    METHODS 

At  times  antithesis  makes  a  stronger  appeal  than 
positive  directions.  This  form  of  addressing  Lecturers, 
in  order  to  help  them  discover  their  possible  faults,  was 
effectively  used  in  a  set  of  simple  rules  sent  out  several 
years  ago  through  the  New  York  Grange  Lecturers' 
Bulletin : 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  131 

If  any  Lecturer  is  in  doubt  about  the  way  in  which 
Grange  lecture  hours  are  rendered  dull  and  uninteresting, 
the  following  six  very  simple  rules  will  be  found  to  work 
to  perfection: 

1.  Never  make  any  preparation  for  the  program  in  ad- 
vance; simply  rely  on  your  ability  to  call  on  the  members 
after  they  come. 

2.  Always  apologize  for  the  program  before  it  begins, 
then  nobody  will  expect  much  and  so  will  not  be  dis- 
appointed. 

3.  Occasionally  announce  that  there  will  be  no  program 
that  evening;  say  that  you  intended  having  one  but  were 
so  busy  you  didn't  get  at  it. 

4.  Do  not  feel  any  necessity  for  being  in  your  place  on 
time;  it  never  disturbs  the  Master  to  have  his  officers  late  in 
arriving. 

5.  Don't  bother  to  have  printed  programs ;  it's  too  much 
work  to  try  to  carry  them  out. 

6.  Never  take  the  trouble  to  thank  members  who  have 
helped  you  out ;  what  is  the  use  after  they  have  done  what 
you  asked  them  to? 

Advice  of  a  National  Master. — When  Mr.  S.  J. 
Lowell,  now  Master  of  the  National  Grange,  was  Lec- 
turer of  New  York  State  Grange,  lie  did  much  to 
strengthen  lecture  hour  ideals.  Among  many  friendly 
messages  to  his  co-workers  which  re-invigorated  their 
courage,  he  once  addressed  them  in  these  words : 

Are  you  in  earnest?  Are  you  enthusiastic?  Then  suc- 
cess is  surely  yours.  First  plan!  Then  organize!  Then 
act! 

Tell  the  Master  that  the  best  Granges  begin  on  time. 


132  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

Entertain  always,  but  let  it  be  as  a  leader  to  something 

of  value. 

Build  your  program  as  you  would  a  house,  with  a  good 
foundation,  which  is  wisdom.  Make  it  beautiful  with 
thought  and  assistance.  Furnish  it  as  you  would  a  home, 
with  things  to  uplift,  to  entertain,  to  make  better;  then 
add  joy  and  laughter. 

Strive  to  draw  all  to  you  by  the  strong  tie  of  friendship, 
then  so  direct  that  all  shall  labor  cheerfully  to  develop  our 
resources— mental,  physical,  financial— to  this  end:  "We 
propose  meeting  together,  working  together,  and  acting  to- 
gether for  our  mutual  protection  and  advancement  as  occa- 
sion may  require." 

A  call  to  service. — Another  high  official  who  has  ren- 
dered distinct  service  to  the  humble  Lecturer  of  the  often 
lonely  Subordinate  Grange  is  Mr.  Charles  M.  Gardner, 
past  Lecturer  of  Massachusetts  State  Grange  and  at 
present  Editor  of  the  National  Grange  Monthly.  When 
a  Lecturer,  Mr.  Gardner  exemplified  the  strongest 
traits  of  the  office:  he  cultivated  his  members;  he 
planned  wide-awake  programs  which  combined  sense 
and  humor;  he  was  unusually  adept  at  conducting  the 
program  hour  with  snap  and  vigor ;  and,  finally,  he  was 
a  master  reporter  who  saw  that  every  live  topic  and 
every  new  program  feature  was  promptly  written  up  for 
the  papers.  Such  an  experienced  Lecturer  talks  to 
others  of  the  same  office  in  language  they  comprehend. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  pass  on  to  others  the  following  words 
by  Mr.  Gardner: 

First  of  all,  let's  forget  that  any  member  has  ever  re- 
fused or  failed  to  take  a  promised  part.    Of  course  there 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  133 

have  been  such  ones  within  your  experience,  but  let's  drop 
the  remembrance  and  go  after  them  all  again.  Chances 
are  they  will  be  pleased  at  another  asking,  which  will  mean 
a  chance  to  atone  for  the  time  they  failed  before. 

Then  let's  never  forget  that  everybody  has  a  talent — 
and  draw  it  out.  This  is  an  old  preachment,  but  it's  for- 
ever got  to  be  repeated.  In  starting  it  will  be  a  lot  easier 
to  rely  on  some  of  the  old  standbys;  but  for  the  sake  of  the 
Grange  and  its  members  it  will  be  a  lot  better  to  enlist 
some  of  the  new  ones. 

If  a  new  class  has  been  initiated,  make  a  note  of  each, 
get  thoroughly  acquainted  with  them  and  make  sure  that 
everybody  has  a  chance  to  do  something  for  the  lecture 
hour  before  the  year  closes. 

Be  a  leader,  sound  a  keynote  at  each  meeting  and  hold 
the  thought  all  true  to  the  key.  Keep  the  program  within 
proper  bounds;  counsel  with  the  participants;  be  sure  that 
no  questionable  features  ever  creep  in;  give  all  the  help 
you  are  asked  for  but  do  it  quietly  and  cut  down  the  quan- 
tity of  talking  you  do  from  your  station.  The  most  suc- 
cessful generals  have  talked  little.    Be  a  leader! 

Encourage  prompt  opening,  reasonable  closing,  some- 
thing doing  every  moment.  If  things  drag,  run  in  some 
rousing  Grange  songs  between  numbers,  but  be  sure  there 
is  someone  present  who  will  lead  promptly  and  surely. 

Get  a  new  supply  of  tact,  draw  on  it  daily  and  hourly, 
and  order  new  carloads  of  it  every  day  in  advance. 

Enter  upon  the  work  with  good  courage.  Your  office 
is  one  of  exceptional  opportunity.  Never  find  fault,  but 
let  the  atmosphere  of  good  cheer,  of  co-operation,  and  of 
interest  so  thoroughly  pervade  all  your  work  that  your 
associates  will  catch  the  spirit  and  make  it  count  for  the 
best  results.    Always  thank  your  workers,  never  complain, 


134  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

help  the  backward,  forgive  the  delinquent,  don't  get  dis- 
couraged. You  are  bound  to  win.  Eellow  Lecturers,  here's 
to  success! 

Thankful  Lecturers. — The  Lecturer  who  is  thankful 
for  small  favors  finds  larger  favors  flowing  in  the  wake 
of  the  little  ones.  In  fact,  to  cultivate  the  habit  of  ex- 
pressing appreciation  of  every  least  help  given  by  mem- 
bers is  one  of  the  surest  steps  a  Lecturer  can  take  in 
the  path  of  success.  This  matter  of  thankfulness  has 
been  mentioned  on  previous  pages,  but  it  is  one  which 
will  bear  stressing,  so  great  a  part  does  it  play  in  suc- 
cessful lecture  work.  A  good  example  to  keep  in  mind 
is  the  familiar  story  of  the  happy  old  colored  woman 
who  was  noted  for  her  piety.  When  reminded  that  she 
had  only  two  teeth  left  in  her  head,  she  exclaimed :  "  Oh, 
yes,  honey,  I  knows  dat ;  but  thank  de  Lord,  de's  oppo- 
site each  other !  "  One  of  the  most  valuable  of  Grange 
members  was  a  dear  old  man  who  could  not  speak,  sing, 
or  do  anything  else  for  the  program.  But  he  always 
held  out  his  hand  to  those  who  had  done  something,  and 
said :  "  You  did  that  well.  I  was  proud  of  you."  And 
so  he  wonderfully  blessed  his  Grange. 

No  one  thing  helps  a  Lecturer  so  much  to  succeed  as 
having  faith  in  her  members.  Let  her  believe  in  their 
ability  and  their  willingness  to  help, — believe  in  them 
even  more  than  they  believe  in  themselves  in  these  ways. 
She  cannot  tell  what  a  member  may  become  until  she  has 
tested  him,  and  nurtured  his  ability  with  encourage- 
ment and  confidence.    Let  her  think  how  it  is  with  her- 


METHODS  IN  LECTUEE  WORK  135 

self  when  someone  says  heartily,  "  Yes,  you  can !  I 
know  you  can  do  it !  "  This  is  what  she  should  say  to 
every  member  in  her  Grange  after  she  has  carefully 
selected  a  task  for  him.  "  Always  it  is  faith  in  some- 
one or  something  that  inspires  us  to  lift  our  work  above 
the  commonplace."  Faith  and  confidence  in  the  mem- 
bers will  not  only  lift  them  out  of  their  former  selves, 
but  it  will  lift  the  lecture  work  high  above  the  common- 
place. 

The  play  spirit  and  rural  recreation. — The  Grange,  in 
recent  years,  has  concerned  itself  more  and  more  with 
play  and  the  true  spirit  of  play.  Composed,  as  this 
organization  is,  of  hard-working  men  and  women, — 
many  of  whom  passed  their  youth  before  the  God-given 
uses  of  play  were  recognized  as  they  are  now,  its  lecture 
hour  offers  a  seed-bed  for  the  inculcating  of  right  ideas 
regarding  well-directed  recreation.  The  Grange,  there- 
fore, needs  to  study  and  to  develop  the  great  natural 
resources  of  play-tendencies  which  exist — largely  latent 
— in  its  membership.  For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other, 
the  Lecturer  does  well  who  works  out  some  neighbor- 
hood plan  in  co-operation  with  rural  teachers,  county 
Y.W.C.A.  and  Y.M.C.A.  secretaries,  and  boys'  and 
girls'  club  leaders. 

Since  it  is  true  that  play  and  social  activity  are  as 
natural  to  boys  and  girls  in  their  teens  as  physical 
activity  is  to  babes  in  arms,  it  is  strange  that  sometimes 
Granges  attempt  to  repress  or  discountenance  such  in- 
stincts. In  this  broad  realm  of  social  need  and  life 
Lecturers  and  other  leaders  in  Granges  have  a  wide 


136  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

range  of  usefulness.  It  is  well  known  that  the  dance 
question  has  torn  asunder  more  rural  organizations  than 
any  other  one  thing;  and  these  dissensions  have  almost 
invariably  arisen  because  the  inherent  liking  of  young 
people  for  social  activity  was  frowned  upon  instead  of 
being  encouraged  to  express  itself  in  a  wholesome  at- 
mosphere. When  the  young  folks  insisted  upon  dancing 
the  elders  absented  themselves  and  refused  to  mention 
the  parties.  In  many  cases  where  dancing  was  pro- 
hibited nothing  was  attempted  as  a  social  counter- 
attraction;  yet  perhaps  dancing  was  the  only  thing  that 
suggested  itself  to  the  inexperienced  young  people. 

There  are  other  attractive  fields  in  which  youthful 
energy  delights  to  express  itself, — fields  which  Granges 
have  left  for  the  most  part  uncultivated.  One  of  these 
is  the  acting  of  assumed  roles — dramatics  in  simplest 
form.  The  laddie  who  simply  dresses  the  part  of  his 
highland  ancestors  while  he  sings  some  sweet  Scotch  air 
introduces  his  staid  Grange  brothers  into  a  new  world 
of  vivacious,  fascinating  entertainment,  full  of  end- 
less variety,  information,  and  development  for  all  con- 
cerned. Where  Lecturers  have  eyes  to  see  the  far- 
reaching  possibilities  in  this  direction  they  will  make 
capital  of  the  hint  and  enlist  young  people  in  illustra- 
tive presentation  of  songs,  stories,  history,  art,  and 
poetry.  Charades,  tableaux,  illustrated  readings,  acted 
proverbs,  motion  songs,  as  well  as  the  usual  simple  plays, 
are  bits  of  action  that  make  strong  appeal  to  the  spirit 
of  youth.  And  why?  Because  such  demonstrations 
call  for  the  play  of  imagination  and  love  for  the  pic- 
turesque and  venturesome;  they  demand  of  the  young 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  137 

people  a  responsibility  in  planning  and  preparation  as 
well  in  execution,  all  of  which  makes  challenge  to  their 
powers  and  invites  response. 

Wheels  within  wheels. — Strictly  speaking,  the  Lec- 
turer's domain  is  within  the  lecture  hour ;  but  one  wheel 
set  turning  there  may  turn  other  wheels.  Very  often, 
particularly  in  large  Granges,  the  Lecturer  has  several 
sets  of  "  wheels  "  revolving  within  the  one  big  lecture- 
hour  circle.  She  forms  groups  of  members,  each  work- 
ing on  its  own  topic  or  task,  and  each  group  in  time 
will  produce  its  play,  its  surprise  feature,  its  refresh- 
ment treat,  or  its  findings  on  a  given  study  subject. 
Thus  the  executive  Lecturer  is  like  a  good  general  who 
directs  many  activities.  In  quite  another  way  the  Lec- 
turer sets  other  wheels  in  motion.  These  are  in  the 
homes,  on  the  farms,  or  in  the  community  life  of  the 
Grange  neighborhood.  The  majority  of  farm  homes 
need  not  only  material  equipment  to  save  the  waste  of 
human  strength;  they  lack  a  generous  supply  of  good 
literature,  music,  and  art.  Farm  folks  hunger  for 
more  sentiment,  more  poetry,  more  pictures  to  ease 
the  round  of  daily  duties.  They  need  eyes  unsealed, 
ears  unstopped,  and  hearts  opened  to  the  finer  things 
that  lie  on  the  threshold  of  the  work-a-day  world  of  the 
senses.  The  Grange  may  be  made  the  open  door  to  this 
larger  life  for  its  members.  In  respect  to  these  things 
the  Lecturer  has  before  her  a  great  opportunity  to  help 
members  of  her  community  in  most  practical  ways. 
She  can,  if  so  minded,  often  be  the  means,  through  her 
lecture  hour  influence,  of  bringing  into  the  neighborhood 
added  home  conveniences  and  labor-saving  equipment, 


138  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

besides  more  good  books,  finer  music,  and  a  higher  grade 
of  art. 

It  may  assist  someone  if  a  concrete  example  is 
here  set  down  of  how  this  sort  of  opportunity  has  been 
seized  upon  and  put  to  use.  One  spring  day  a  Lec- 
turer asked  every  person  present  at  a  Grange  meet- 
ing to  tell  what  improvement  he  would  try  to  make 
during  the  coming  season.  One  after  another  of 
that  group  of  men  and  women  arose  and  told  what 
he  had  hoped  or  planned  to  have  or  do.  "  It  was  the 
most  interesting  roll-call  we  ever  had,"  someone  was 
heard  to  say.  Certainly  the  range  of  improvements  was 
wide  and  the  items  varied  enough  to  hold  the  rapt  at- 
tention of  all  from  start  to  finish.  Not  one  of  the 
improvements  named  but  might  have  touched  off  a  whole 
discussion  had  there  been  time.  Not  one  of  them  but 
might  mean  a  better  and  brighter  home,  or  farm,  or  indi- 
vidual for  having  been  attempted.  Not  all  of  them  were 
realized,  of  course,  but  hope  expressed  is  nearer  realiza- 
tion than  if  never  given  a  voice.  Nothing  is  ever  done 
unless  somebody  dreams  it  first,  no  temple  is  reared,  no 
ship  built,  no  battle  fought,  no  machine  made,  no  book 
written,  no  field  sown,  no  harvest  reaped,  except  it  first 
takes  shape  in  someone's  brain.  This  is  why  the  "  One 
Improvement  Club  "  plan  is  a  very  practical  proposi- 
tion to  work  upon  in  our  Granges.  Here  are  some  of 
the  improvements  that  members  of  this  Grange  above 
referred  to  promised  to  attempt :  a  cement  silo,  a  porch, 
fifteen  acres  of  alfalfa,  chickens  and  flowers  (despite 
desperate  discouragements  from  combining  them  in  the 
past),  making  the  farm  pay  without  help  (by  a  father 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WOEK  139 

whose  sons  had  left  the  home  farm),  a  vacuum  cleaner, 
disposition  of  accumulated  things-that-may-come-handy, 
making  over  the  door  yard,  tinting  the  walls  of  the 
living  room,  realizing  a  higher  price  than  that  of  the 
previous  year  on  grains  fed  to  stock,  installing  a  gaso- 
line engine  for  sprayer  and  washing-machine,  making 
or  buying  a  tireless  brooder,  laying  tile  drains,  buying 
a  gasoline  flatiron,  setting  out  new  shrubs  and  straw- 
berry beds.  One  man  hoped  to  enlist  his  neighbors  with 
him  in  cleaning  up  an  old  neglected  burying  ground: 
another  resolved  to  do  more  reading  that  would  keep  him 
in  closer  touch  with  public  affairs ;  while  the  oldest  per- 
son present  promised  himself  to  try  to  hold  a  stronger 
rein  over  his  temper.  Was  that  not  a  fine  day's  work 
under  the  direction  of  a  Lecturer  who  set  no  narrow 
confines  about  the  possibilities  of  the  lecture  hour  % 

The  "group  plan"  of  study. — Two  fundamental 
features  of  successful  Grange  management  are,  to  set 
every  member  to  thinking,  studying  and  entering  into 
activities  along  lines  new  to  him;  and  to  make  each 
feel  it  pays  him  to  atttend  Grange  meetings.  Every 
person  who  joins  has  the  right  to  expect  these  returns. 
In  order  to  accomplish  this  we  shall  need  to  go  a  long 
way  to  find  a  better  plan  than  that  by  which  State  and 
National  Grange  sessions  are  handled.  In  them  every 
delegate  is  assigned  to  a  committee  and  expected  to 
share  in  the  responsibility  of  that  committee's  duties. 
In  this  way  every  delegate  is  set  at  work  at  the  very 
outset.  A  similar  method  of  dividing  the  Subordinate 
Grange  into  committees  or  groups  holds  within  it  great 
possibilities.  The  subjects  assigned  to  the  groups  should 


140  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

be  carefully  selected,  with  due  regard  to  the  interests 
and  needs  of  the  locality.  Not  many  groups  should  be 
made  up,  unless  the  membership  is  very  large.  Perhaps 
four  would  answer  in  most  Granges,  and  the  subjects 
taken  be  quite  broad.  Later,  other  topics  may  be  chosen 
and  subdivisions  of  the  first  general  subject  selected. 
Suppose,  at  first,  a  Grange  divides  into  only  four 
groups,  known  as:  1,  Soils  and  crops;  2,  Farm  ani- 
mals; 3,  Home  economics;  4,  Child  training.  Allow 
each  group  or  committee  to  select  its  own  leader,  or  one 
may  be  appointed  by  the  Lecturer.  The  members  of  a 
group  should  be  encouraged  to  make  note  of  facts,  inci- 
dents and  experiences  which  they  run  across  and  bring 
these  to  the  group  meetings  to  share  with  other  members 
of  that  group.  Use  may  be  made  of  these  groups  upon 
the  regular  programs  of  the  Grange;  at  a  meeting  one 
group  will  be  given  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  which  to 
report  its  findings,  and  at  another  time  the  entire  Grange 
will  break  up  into  group  meetings,  one  in  each  corner 
of  the  hall.  All  will  be  admonished  to  talk  group  topics 
when  they  so  meet.  Best  of  all  it  will  be  possible  to 
stimulate  through  these  groups  an  improvement  of  the 
neighborhood  in  various  ways.  The  spirit  of  community 
pride  will  be  aroused.  A  sort  of  rivalry  may  be  engen- 
dered among  the  groups  as  to  which  will  set  on  foot  real 
movements  for  the  common  good.  Perhaps  the  Farm 
animals  group  will  cast  about  to  see  how  better  stock 
may  be  introduced;  the  Soils  and  crops  group  will  test 
soils,  compare  treatment  and  canvass  for  orders  for 
lime    and    fertilizers,    or    enlist    members    in    better 


METHODS  IN"  LECTURE  WORK  141 

methods  of  seed  selection.  We  can  fancy  the  Home 
economics  group  presenting  balanced  ration  menus  for 
the  home  that  vie  with  those  served  to  stock  at  the  barns ; 
while  the  group  that  devotes  itself  to  child  training 
will  quietly  establish  a  closer  study  and  more  sympa- 
thetic understanding  of  the  children  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Again,  at  times,  textbooks  are  used  in  Granges  with 
marked  results.  The  methods  of  using  them  are,  per- 
force, adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  convenience  of 
the  members  of  each  group.  Several  State  Granges  have 
to  their  credit  a  goodly  list  of  books  relating  to  farm, 
and  home,  and  civics  which  have  been  studied  in  a  more 
or  less  thorough  manner  in  their  local  organizations 
under  direction  of  the  State  Lecturers.  As  the  exten- 
sion work  of  our  Agricultural  Colleges  increases  its 
forces  of  available  field  men  and  women,  there  is  taking 
shape  a  somewhat  clearly  defined  scheme  of  co-opera- 
tion among  the  various  farm  associations  which  prom- 
ises to  encourage  even  more  definite  home  study  and 
investigation.  In  some  instances  the  central  office  and 
paid  agents  of  the  Farm  Bureau  are  serving  as  a  clear- 
ing house  for  arranging  and  advertising  series  of  lec- 
tures upon  given  subjects.  This  means  that,  when  a  few 
men  of  each  of  several  Granges  are  keeping  production 
costs  (milk,  sugar  beets,  potatoes  or  other  farm  prod- 
uct) and  a  few  in  other  nearby  organizations  are  doing 
the  same,  an  expert  farm  accountant  will  visit  all  such 
groups  on  one  trip.  Another  series,  perhaps,  is  planned 
for  a  half  dozen  groups  of  farm  women  who  are  study- 


142  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

ing  to  ascertain  how  much  of  their  family  living  is  taken 
directly  from  their  farms;  and  a  trained  field  woman 
will  go  from  one  to  another  of  these  classes  and  carry 
very  much  of  the  experience  and  enthusiasm  of  one  to 
the  others.  The  extent  to  which  such  a  plan  may  be 
developed  is  limitless.  There  is  gain  in  such  a  plan  as 
this,  too,  which  far  exceeds  the  saving  in  expense  and 
time.  It  is,  indeed,  actually  carrying  out  the  old  pre- 
cept of  the  founders  of  the  Grange, — reaffirmed  at  its 
fifty-fourth  annual  convention,  in  1920, — which  reads: 
"  Cherishing  in  our  hearts  every  kind  feeling  towards 
all  other  Orders  and  Associations,  which  seek  to  pro- 
mote human  welfare,  let  us  strive  with  them,  working 
hand  in  hand,  for  the  good  of  our  fellow  beings." 

Tie  the  ends. — In  addition  to  what  has  been  said 
upon  the  subject  of  ideals  and  plans  for  progressive 
Grange  work,  there  yet  remains  one  word.  It  has  been 
urged  that  to  build  strong,  effective  Granges  one  must 
dream  dreams  of  what  a  model  Grange,  set  down  just 
where  it  is  now,  would  do  for  its  community.  I  have 
gone  further  and  said  that  to  realize  this  ideal  means 
more  than  t©  dream  dreams.  We  must  do  things.  And 
now  the  closing  injunction  that  comes  in  this  connection 
is  one  I  have  heard  a  certain  forceful  leader  use  when 
directing  the  work  of  many  men  under  him.  It  is  this : 
"  Tie  the  ends."  Dream  dreams,  do  things,  but,  in  addi- 
tion, tie  the  ends. 

Perhaps  at  some  time  you  have  seen  a  grain  seed-bed 
that  was  not  quite  fine  enough,  but,  nevertheless,  the 
planting  was  done.  You  may  have  loaned  an  implement 
to  a  neighbor  who,  in  returning  it,  left  it  at  your  front 


METHODS  IN  LECTURE  WORK  143 

gate  with,  a  bolt  gone  that  unfitted  it  for  immediate  use. 
Possibly  you  -have  gone  through  a  day  with  a  woman 
who  was  a  "  master  hand  at  turning  off  work,"  and  yet 
at  night  confusion  still  reigned  about  her  and  tasks 
were  incomplete.  Just  as,  mayhap,  you  have  loaned 
your  writing  materials  to  "  the  dearest  daughter  in  the 
world,"  and  afterward  had  to  cork  the  ink  bottle,  pick 
up  scraps  of  waste  paper,  wipe  up  blots,  and  set  your 
desk  to  rights ;  and  it  is  barely  possible  it  was  your  own 
son  who,  one  night,  brought  up  the  cows  and  left  the 
gate  insecurely  fastened  after  them.  To  all  such  this 
man  would  say,  "  Tie  the  ends,  friends,  tie  the  ends !  " 
Perhaps  you  have  seen  a  Grange  set  out  to  celebrate 
an  anniversary  with  special  intent  to  re-inspire  its 
earlier  membership.  A  great  feast  was  prepared  and 
the  best  speakers  the  Grange  had  produced  in  the  county 
were  invited  to  respond  to  toasts.  During  all  the  prepa- 
ration it  was  said  this  effort  was  for  the  express  purpose 
of  bringing  back  the  members  who  had  allowed  dues  to 
lapse  and  had  fallen  from  the  roll.  When  the  day  came 
all  went  finely — all  except  the  reinstatement  of  former 
members.  Oh,  yes,  they  were  present;  they  ate  of  the 
sumptuous  viands,  they  laughed  over  the  wit  of  the 
speakers  and  roundly  applauded  every  well-made 
Grange  point,  but  not  one  re-joined  the  Grange.  The 
fact  is,  no  one  asked  them  to  do  so.  Not  a  word  was 
said  to  them  about  it.  The  plan  of  the  day  had  been 
good,  and  much  hard  work  had  been  put  into  carrying 
it  out,  but  its  ends  were  not  tied.  Many  another  project 
fails  because,  like  this  one,  it  falls  short  just  at  its 
close.     Its  ultimate  aim  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  process 


144  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

of  its  execution;  those  who  work  at  it  become  so  ab- 
sorbed in  the  doing  that  they  forget  the  real  object 
of  the  work.  It  is  a  homely  saying,  but  there  is  much 
meat  for  reflection  in  the  injunction,  "  Tie  the  ends." 


CHAPTER  IV 
TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS 


u 


The  present  drift  toward  furnishing  more  efficient 
Lecturers  because  they  shall  be  better-trained  Lec- 
turers, is  one  of  the  most  significant,  as  "well  as  one  of 
the  most  hopeful,  tendencies  of  the  times."  The  ulti- 
mate progress  of  the  Grange  is  particularly  concerned 
with  this  statement  from  The  National  Grange  Monthly. 
Lecture  work  is  not  what  it  was  when  the  Grange  was 
in  its  beginnings ;  there  is  an  increasing  demand  for  the 
work  of  specialists  in  the  making  and  conducting  of 
programs.  This  demand  can  be  satisfied  only  by  afford- 
ing opportunities  for  the  training  of  such  people  as  have 
been  elected  Lecturers.  Many  of  these  people  in  the 
beginnings  of  their  terms  do  not  have  correct  ideas  of  the 
scope  of  the  lecture  hour;  few  of  them  have  a  definite 
and  adequate  conception  of  the  duties  of  a  Lecturer. 
The  demands  of  the  office  were  once  set  forth  by  N.  J. 
Bachelder,  when  he  was  Lecturer  of  the  National 
Grange : 

The  important  work  of  State,  Pomona,  and  Subordinate 
Lecturers  is  executive  rather  than  oratorical.  The  most 
successful  Lecturer  is  not  necessarily  the  one  who  makes 
the  best  speech,  but  rather  the  one  who  has  the  greatest 
faculty  for  getting  others  to  speak.    It  is  not  what  is  done 

145 


146  THE  GEANGE  LECTURER 

for  members  but  what  members  are  induced  to  do  for 
themselves  that  makes  the  educational  work  of  the  Grange 
of  value.  We  should  encourage  the  young  and  the  diffident 
to  become  writers,  readers  and  speakers,  and  thus  develop  to 
greater  usefulness  the  latent  powers  of  the  members.  Im- 
parting instruction  to  members  of  a  Grange  consists  in 
telling  them  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it,  as  well  as  a  dis- 
play of  oratory.  We  must  recognize  that  self-help  stands 
near  the  head  of  the  list  of  things  that  bring  success  in  life, 
and  pre-eminently  so  in  matters  of  education.  However 
cultured  or  literary  a  Lecturer  may  be,  she  may  fail  from 
lack  of  executive  force. 

One  of  the  great  demonstrations  of  self-help  organiza- 
tions among  farmer  folk  has  been  the  discovery  and 
turning  to  account  of  their  own  leadership.  Pre- 
eminent leaders,  perhaps  it  is  true,  are  born,  not  made ; 
but  many  who  might  be  real  leaders  never  develop  their 
ability  in  that  direction.  Many  others  never  are  given 
the  right  bent  and  their  inherent  aggressiveness  runs 
to  waste  on  worthless  ends;  it  is  not  led  out  and  har- 
nessed to  logical  efforts.  The  Grange  at  this  point 
offers  the  plan,  the  experience,  and  the  incentive  to 
the  proper  development  of  leadership.  To  imagine  in 
every  member  a  more  capable  man  or  woman,  to  see  in 
every  officer  greater  skill  in  duty,  to  picture  beside  every 
Grange  a  better  Grange-to-be,  and  to  see  in  every  defect 
an  opportunity  for  a  possible  virtue — to  do  these  things 
paves  the  way  to  the  discovery  of  leaders.  This  is  the 
province  of  the  Lecturer  and,  perforce,  in  the  discharge 
of  her  duties,  she  becomes  a  finder  and  developer  of 
leadership  for  her  community;  by  virtue  of  such  efforts 


TRAINING  OF  LECTUEEES  147 

she  unconsciously  comes  into  a  position  of  volunteer 
leader  among  other  possible  leaders. 

The  strongest  and  best  results  in  the  long  run  follow 
the  work  of  the  volunteer  leader — trained  and  directed 
by  the  expert.  The  personal  forces  which  make  pos- 
sible the  highest  community  development  are  resident, 
not  imported.  What  is  done  for  men — and  for  com- 
munities as  well — is  apt  to  weaken  them ;  what  they  do 
for  themselves  is  sure  to  strengthen.  The  rural  church, 
Sabbath  school,  country  school,  in  fact  every  rural  or- 
ganization, cries  aloud  for  leaders.  The  Farm  Bureau 
affords  a  notable  and  recent  example  in  that  it  has  made 
heavy  demands  upon  the  Grange  for  men  to  head  many 
of  its  enterprises ;  and,  by  reason  of  lacking  local  meet- 
ings of  its  own,  it  must  continue  to  depend  largely  upon 
the  Grange  to  initiate  and  train  its  leaders.  Thus  the 
Grange,  through  its  intensive,  twice-a-month  plan  of 
meeting,  furnishes  an  ideal  practice  school  for  beginners 
in  rural  group  undertakings.  The  Master  of  Wash- 
ington State  Grange,  Mr.  William  Bouck,  has  well  said 
on  this  point: 

One  of  the  crying  needs  of  the  Grange  in  our  state  is  a 
more  efficient  lecture  service.  There  are  efficient  Lecturers, 
to  be  sure,  but  not  enough.  Our  Juvenile  work  just  being 
developed  should  remedy  this  shortcoming  by  commencing 
at  once  studies  in  parliamentary  practice,  followed  by  a 
debate  at  every  meeting.  This  same  practice  should  be 
followed  in  our  regular  Grange  meetings.  So  many  of  our 
best  farmers — the  most  progressive  ones — are  utterly  in- 
capable of  expressing  themselves  in  public  on  any  question 
though  vitally  interested  in  it,  or  are  lost  when  presiding 


148  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

at  a  meeting  and  unable  to  handle  it  or  to  guide  it,  or  to 
take  their  place  upon  the  floor  and  hold  their  own  when  a 
serious  question  is  at  stake.  The  Grange  is  a  training 
school  for  these  matters  and  every  Lecturer  should  be 
on  the  job,  not  neglecting  one  single  opportunity  to  train 
the  members  along  these  lines.  We  sincerely  hope  that 
the  juniors  will  turn  over  to  us  in  the  future  a  lot  of  well- 
trained  men  and  women.  If  they  will  do  so  it  will  justify 
any  cost  we  may  incur  in  organizing  Juvenile  Granges. 

Lecturers  need  to  be  impressed  by  the  demands  which 
our  times  make  upon  the  Grange  to  develop  leadership 
for  every  sort  of  rural  activity.  It  is  a  widely  recog- 
nized fact  that  rural  districts  have  furnished  a  large 
part  of  America's  leadership.  Someone  in  referring 
to  this  has  said :  "  In  this  country  you  can  never  tell 
where  the  next  great  man  is  to  come  from.  The  only 
thing  we  can  feel  reasonably  sure  of  is  that  he  will  come 
from  some  little  farm  or  from  the  prairies  or  from  the 
backwoods."  One  of  the  greatest  obligations  incumbent 
upon  the  Grange  is  to  strike  the  scales  from  the  eyes  of 
Lecturers  and  make  them  see  these  leadership  oppor- 
tunities ;  for  the  trouble  with  much  of  our  lecture  work 
comes  from  simple  blindness  on  the  part  of  Lecturers. 
They  should  be  given  light  from  every  available  source. 

This  chapter  is  the  place  to  raise  the  questions  as  to 
what  is  being  done  to  assist  Subordinate  Grange  Lec- 
turers to  recognize  their  need  for  some  special  lecture- 
work  training;  and  to  set  forth  what  means  are  offered 
to  provide  for  those  needs.  There  are  three  avenues 
available  for  the  help  and  training  of  Lecturers  which 
seem   worth   noting  here; — (1)    uniform   topics,    (2) 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  149 

classes  in   rural  leadership,   and    (3)    Lecturers'  con- 
ferences. 

UNIFORM    PROGRAM   TOPICS 

A  mighty  stride  forward  was  taken  when,  in  1894, 
the  National  Grange  Lecturer  issued  a  little  circular 
relating  to  lecture-hour  programs  and  sent  it  to  all  State, 
Pomona,  and  Subordinate  Grange  Lecturers.  To  Mr. 
Alpha  Mcsser,  Lecturer  of  National  Grange  from  1893 
to  1899,  belongs  the  splendid  credit  of  conceiving  and 
putting  into  effect  this  and  other  innovations  in  Grange 
lecture  work  which  have  since  been  more  or  less  closely 
followed.  Three  great  needs  existed  as  he  saw  them, 
namely,  to  keep  local  Granges  alive  through  action,  to 
secure  uniformity  of  topics  for  discussion  among  all 
Granges,  and  to  afford  Lecturers  a  stimulus  and  training 
through  personal  contact  and  discussion  of  their  prob- 
lems. These  changes  proposed  by  Mr.  Messer  were 
based  on  the  belief  that  the  Grange  Lecturer's  depart- 
ment needed  system  and  order  as  much  as  does  a  busi- 
ness enterprise. 

The  initial  circular  suggesting  program  outlines  for 
use  of  Lecturers,  which  was  sent  out  by  Mr.  Messer, 
was  followed  for  several  years  by  a  quarterly  bulletin 
authorized  by  the  National  Grange.  This  bulletin 
contained  a  suggestive  list  of  two  topics  for  each  month 
together  with  other  material  designed  to  assist  Lecturers. 
In  his  report  upon  this  new  department,  Mr.  Messer 
said: 

The  leading  objects  of  the  quarterly  bulletin  have  been 


150  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

to  strengthen  the  educational  features  of  the  Order,  to  sys- 
tematize, in  a  measure  at  least,  the  lecture  work,  and  to 
encourage  and  assist  Subordinate  and  Pomona  Lecturers 
in  their  difficult  and  important  fields  of  labor.  In  order 
to  carry  out  the  great  cardinal  principles  which  underlie 
the  Order,  and  which  are  the  very  foundation  of  civiliza- 
tion, society,  and  government,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that 
our  farming  population,  which  constitutes  nearly  one-half 
the  voting  power  of  the  nation,  should  become  more  homo- 
geneous and  the  possessors  of  that  broadened,  enlightened 
thought  which  can  come  only  from  a  better  knowledge  of 
the  ethics  of  morality,  of  social  conditions,  and  of  govern- 
ment. The  great  mission  of  the  Grange  is  to  develop  and 
assimilate  the  thought  of  our  farming  population  along 
these  lines. 

Upon  another  occasion,  speaking  on  the  same  theme, 
he  stated: 

The  educational  work  of  the  Grange  is  not  for  the  pres- 
ent only,  valuable  as  that  may  be,  but  it  reaches  out  into 
the  future,  and  will  have  an  influence  in  solving  the  prob- 
lem of  self-government,  or  government  by  the  people, 
which,  sooner  or  later,  must  be  the  government  of  the 
entire  world.  The  Grange,  then,  not  only  has  a  grand 
opportunity  before  it,  but  a  great  responsibility  resting 
upon  it  so  to  fulfil  its  mission  to  educate  and  develop  its 
members  by  thought  and  action  as  to  bring  great  content- 
ment and  happiness  to  their  homes,  insure  peace  and  pros- 
perity to  the  nation,  and  make  it  the  bulwark  of  liberty  for 
all  time  to  come. 

Probably  Mr.  Messer  himself  did  not  at  first  recog- 
nize the  full  force  of  one  result  which  came  inevitably 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  151 

and  powerfully  into  evidence  from  his  seemingly  hum- 
ble effort  to  improve  the  lecture  work  of  all  Granges. 
This  important  result  was  that  of  focussing  the  thought 
and  discussion  of  thousands  of  farm  people  upon  the 
same  subject  at  approximately  the  same  time,  thereby 
arriving  at  a  consensus  of  rural  opinion  which  was  well- 
nigh  irresistible.  The  psychological  as  well  as  practical 
effects  of  such  concert  of  thought  and  decision  upon 
vital  subjects  of  the  day  are  beyond  estimation.  For 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  modified  forms  of 
this  method  of  dealing  with  public  questions  have  been 
in  use  throughout  the  Grange  organization,  and  have 
been  of  untold  value  in  guiding  and  educating  Lectur- 
ers. The  National  Grangs  has,  practically  without 
interruption,  continued  the  plan  of  having  broad  and 
general  subjects  regularly  suggested  to  the  entire  force 
of  Lecturers  for  their  use  in  preparing  programs.  At 
present  much  space  is  devoted  in  The  National  Grange 
Monthly  to  topics  of  current  legislation,  co-operation, 
and  home  economics,  which  are  suggested  to  the  end  that 
programs  of  Granges  may  tend  toward  uniformity  in 
these  essential  subjects.  This  Monthly  circulates  quite 
generally  among  members  of  the  Order  throughout  all 
states,  and,  in  addition,  all  of  the  larger  State  Granges 
publish  their  own  official  papers.  In  each  of  these 
state  papers  the  State  Lecturer  maintains  a  Lecturers' 
Department  where  questions  concerning  state  affairs  and 
the  more  local  farm,  home,  and  civic  conditions  are  pro- 
posed for  discussion  by  the  Subordinate  and  Pomona 
Granges.  Ohio  State  Grange  was  the  first  to  publish  a 
series  of  suggestive  uniform  topics  and  circulate  them 


152  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

among  its  Subordinate  and  Pomona  Lecturers.  This  was 
initiated  by  Mr.  C.  M.  Freeman,  then  State  Lecturer  and 
now  Secretary  of  the  National  Grange,  in  1897 ;  Michi- 
gan followed  in  January,  1899,  under  the  Lecturer  lead- 
ership of  Mrs.  F.  D.  Saunders.  In  some  states  the  State 
Grange,  or  its  executive  committee,  chooses  a  few  promi- 
nent and  vital  questions  and  recommends  them  to  all 
Granges  of  the  state  for  discussion  and  action.  Still 
another  means,  which  is  employed  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  both  State  and  Pomona  Lecturers,  is  the 
Grange  year-book.  In  these  year-books  are  included 
suggested  programs,  lists  of  miscellaneous  topics  suit- 
able for  discussion  in  the  lecture  hour,  plans  for  novel 
program  features,  sometimes  a  few  recitations  and  plays 
that  are  particularly  suitable,  and  many  facts  and  bits 
of  Grange  information  that  afford  aid  to  a  Lecturer  in 
her  work. 

CLASSES    IN    EUEAL   LEADEKSHIP 

Occasionally  there  comes  within  reach  of  a  Lecturer 
opportunity  to  attend  and  participate  in  a  training  class 
or  conference  called  by  some  other  association  than  the 
Grange, — such  as  a  rural  teachers'  institute,  a  Sunday 
School  convention,  a  Country  Life  conference,  or  a  con- 
ference of  rural  ministers,  or  of  the  county  Y.M.C.A. 
or  county  Y.W.C.A.  Each  of  these  organizations  has 
to  deal  with  some  of  the  varied  aspects  of  rural  prob- 
lems which  inevitably  engage  the  interest  of  every  Lec- 
turer who  seeks  to  improve  her  methods  and  to  attain 
more  concrete  results  with  the  members  of  her  Grange. 
The  benefits  which  accrue  when  a  Lecturer  attends  such 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  153 

meetings  as  these  are  two-fold:  the  Lecturer  not  only 
gets  a  broader  outlook  upon  the  rural  field  and  receives 
definite  help  for  her  part  in  it,  but  she  is  often  able  to 
acquaint  members  of  other  organizations  with  something 
new  concerning  the  aims  and  accomplishments  of  the 
Grange. 

lecturers'  conferences 

"  Any  leader  can  lead  somewhere,"  says  a  writer  in 
Rural  Manhood,  "  but  it  is  the  trained  leader  who  with 
the  air  of  certainty  goes  in  the  right  direction.  Pur- 
pose is  hidden  in  his  suggestions ;  reason  is  back  of  his 
rejections ;  he  knows  where  he  is  going,  how  he  is  going 
to  get  there,  and  why  he  did  not  follow  the  other  routes. 
Although  he  may  be  leading  through  a  swamp  he  has 
never  seen  before,  ho  proceeds  as  though  the  path  were 
familiar."  From  the  first  there  has  developed  an  in- 
creasing recognition  of  the  need  of  many  Lecturers 
for  assistance  in  their  work  from  sources  outside  them- 
selves and  their  own  immediate  surroundings.  Not  all 
Lecturers  need  this  help  since  they  are  themselves  school- 
and  college-trained  people  who  have  constant  access  to 
libraries,  possess  acquaintance  with  agricultural  edu- 
cators, and  who  travel  considerably.  All  of  these  ad- 
vantages afford  much  assistance  to  such  Lecturers ;  but 
a  majority  are  not  thus  outfitted  for  the  duties  of  their 
office.  Moreover  the  pressure  of  more  insistent  duties 
prevents  the  giving  of  much  preparation  for  the  pro- 
gram work.  An  instance  of  the  conditions  under  which 
some  Grange  Lecturers  work  may  be  gained  from  (lie 
following  personal  glimpse,  which,  although  not  written 


154  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

for  that  purpose,  was  printed  in  the  National  Grange 
Monthly: 

When  I  tell  you  that  I  have  a  family  of  nine  children, 
with  seven  at  home;  that  I  am  working  out  of  doors  as 
well  as  doing  all  my  housework ;  and  that  I  live  three  miles 
from  our  place  of  meeting,  yet  never  miss  a  Grange  meet- 
ing, you  will  know  that  I  am  some  busy  woman;  but  I  am 
always  ready  to  do  all  I  can  for  the  Grange. 

The  need  felt  by  Lecturers  and  organizing  deputies 
for  information  about  the  Grange  was  early  met  by  the 
printing  of  millions  of  leaflets  for  distribution;  but 
experience  and  observation  soon  pointed  to  the  necessity 
for  a  closer  bond  among  these  workers.  Even  the  fur- 
nishing of  uniform  program  topics  by  the  National  and 
State  Lecturers  to  the  Pomona  and  Subordinate  Lec- 
turers did  not  suffice;  the  personal  element,  which 
alone  could  add  proper  stimulus,  still  was  lacking.  It 
was  seen  that  in  order  to  achieve  highest  success  these 
officials  must  have  opportunity  for  personal  conference 
with  those  who  could  direct  to  the  best  in  Grange  ideals 
and  methods;  this  was  suggested  in  1897  by  Mr.  Alpha 
Messer  to  National  Grange: 

I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  seeming  necessity 
for  some  movement  looking  to  greater  concert  of  action 
in  regard  to  lecture  work.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  some  pro- 
vision could  be  made  whereby  State  Lecturers  would  be 
able  to  meet  the  National  Lecturer  and  carefully  consider 
the  lecture  work  in  the  various  states  and  in  the  country 
at  large,  better  and  more  satisfactory  results  could  be 


TRAINING  OF  LECTUEEES  155 

secured  from  the  same  amount  of  labor.  This  would  be 
in  the  direct  line  of  efforts  that  are  being  made  to  sys- 
tematize and  give  greater  uniformity  to  the  educational 
features  of  the  Grange. 

From  this  suggestion  resulted,  in  the  following  year, 
three  regional  conferences, — held  at  Concord,  N".  H., 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Columbus,  O.  These  were  truly 
inspirational  occasions.  While  distances  and  the  ex- 
pense of  travel  have  since  curtailed  the  area  of  the 
Grange  conference  plan,  great  credit  is  to  be  attributed 
to  these  early  experiments  in  establishing  and  sys- 
tematizing Grange  lecture-hour  methods;  and  they  re- 
main the  greatest  triumph  of  the  entire  Grange  educa- 
tional achievement. 

Immediate  value  radiated  from  those  pioneer  efforts 
to  assemble  Lecturers  by  themselves  for  discussion  as  to 
the  best  means  of  discharging  their  official  responsi- 
bilities. The  Lecturers  who  attended  responded  at  once 
with  a  fresh  zeal  and  an  impetus  in  their  work  which 
wrought  truly  remarkable  results.  Order  and  system 
were  recognized  as  essentials  of  success  and  a  deeper 
appreciation  of  the  high  calling  of  the  office  was  every- 
where inculcated.  One  State  Lecturer,  who  attended 
the  Columbus  conference,  which  was  the  smallest  of  the 
three  held  that  first  year,  returned  to  his  home  with 
such  a  stimulating  report  of  the  advantages  of  uniform 
programs  and  the  conference  plan  for  systematizing  lec- 
ture work  that  both  innovations  were  forthwith  adopted 
and  have  since  been  in  continuous  use  in  his  state. 
They  are  deemed  indispensable  lecture-work  methods  in 


156  THE  GRANGE  LECTURES 

other  and  equally  enthusiastic  Grange  states,  and  account 
in  large  measure  for  the  changed  ideal  of  the  Lecturer 
as  a  platform  speaker  to  that  of  a  teacher  and  leader. 
The  conference  plan  is  unquestionably  the  best  means 
thus  far  instituted  to  afford  training  for  Lecturers. 
As  the  institute  is  to  the  school  teacher,  and  as  the  group 
study  plan  is  to  the  Y.M.C.A.  secretary,  so  is  the  Grange 
conference  to  the  Lecturer.  Its  character  and  scope  are 
so  constantly  undergoing  adaptation  to  meet  changing 
needs  that  it  is  impossible  to  predict  what  it  may  lead 
to  in  the  future,  but  it  is  not  presuming  to  say  that  it 
is  a  feature  of  Grange  educational  work  that  will  abide. 
These  conferences  are  sometimes  held  in  connection  with 
the  county  Grange  and  conducted  by  the  Pomona  Lec- 
turer, if  the  State  Lecturer  cannot  be  present.  Again, 
each  conference  includes  a  field  of  several  counties  and 
a  series  of  conferences  is  held,  arranged  for  consecutive 
days,  with  each  Lecturer  in  these  counties  given  op- 
tional choice  as  to  which  conference  she  will  attend.  A 
roll-call  at  each  conference  affords  a  check  on  total 
attendance.  Where  a  state  is  covered  by  conveniently 
located  conferences  in  this  way,  and  an  additional 
round-up  conference  is  held  during  the  annual  state 
Grange  session,  the  majority  of  the  Lecturers  are 
reached  once  a  year.  In  New  York,  Ohio,  Washington, 
Oregon,  Michigan,  and  the  New  England  States  the  con- 
ference habit  is  particularly  well  confirmed,  but  every- 
where Lecturers  are  becoming  imbued  with  a  recogni- 
tion of  the  helpfulness  of  those  occasions  where  two 
or  three  Lecturers  are  met  together.  A  Lecturer  in 
attendance  upon  one  of  these  conferences  gets  glimpses 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  157 

of  experiences  of  others  which  are  most  illuminating  to 
her.  For  instance,  no  one  who  was  in  one  conference, 
which  the  writer  recalls,  will  forget  the  Lecturer  who 
had  come  at  her  own  expense  because  she  felt  need  of 
help  in  her  dual  capacity  as  Lecturer  of  both  her  Po- 
mona and  Subordinate  Granges.  Belonging  to  a  Grange 
in  which  onlv  two  members  were  American  born,  she 
found  there  were  many  problems.  It  was  difficult  to 
draw  the  older  members  into  literary  exercises  and  even 
in  social  ways  they  were  reserved;  this  had  led  her  to 
call  upon  the  school  children  and  to  put  older  children 
in  charge  of  portions  of  the  programs.  In  this  way 
eight  new  members  had  lately  been  added  to  the  Grange, 
she  said.  Suggestions  were  made  to  her  by  other  Lec- 
turers present  along  the  line  of  getting  the  women  in- 
terested in  cooking  contests  and  in  appealing  to  their 
knowledge  of  native  customs  and  recreations.  Surely 
the  sympathy  expressed  toward  this  persevering  woman 
leader  through  the  suggestions  offered  by  the  others  must 
have  strengthened  her  to  overcome  many  an  obstacle, 
while  it  made  their  own  difficulties  appear  much  less 
formidable.  Over  against  this  Lecturer's  problems  and 
in  strong  contrast  to  them,  stood  out  the  obstacles  de- 
scribed by  three  or  four  Lecturers  of  Granges  that  met 
in  towns  of  5,000  inhabitants  and  upwards.  Here  the 
city  amusements,  with  all  the  glare  and  blare  of  com- 
mercialized entertainment,  had  to  be  competed  with  or 
young  people  would  be  lost  to  the  wholesome  and  in- 
vigorating influences  of  real  Granges. 

These  are  but  hints  of  the  many  and  varied  points 
discussed  at  these  meetings.     Best  of  all,  perhaps,  is 


158  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

the  strong  atmosphere  of  the  lecture  hour  that  pervades 
any  conference  group  of  Lecturers.  There  is  the  sense 
of  kinship  in  their  common  aspirations  and  endeavors 
for  lecture  hour  attainments;  kinship  realized,  too, 
keenly  and  perhaps  most  helpfully,  when  discourage- 
ments and  seeming  failures  are  discussed,  for  then  it  is 
that  some  brave-souled  Lecturer  opens  up  the  treasures 
of  her  triumphs  over  similar  difficulties,  and  the  courage 
of  her  victory  is  heartening  to  all. 

The  testimony  of  one  Lecturer  upon  the  value  of  the 
training  afforded  by  conferences  expresses  the  attitude 
of  scores  of  others :  "  Without  exception  I  have  returned 
from  every  Lecturers'  conference  with  a  broader  idea  of 
the  possibilities  of  lecture  work,  with  a  higher  idea  of 
the  aim  we  should  have  in  that  work,  and  a  deeper  sense 
of  my  failures  in  making  use  of  the  material  right  at 
hand.  Should  the  Lecturers  in  any  county  agree  to 
work  in  unison  to  promote  a  measure — to  work  for  any 
school  improvement,  agricultural  experiment,  or  social 
reform — and  should  discuss  it  together  in  conference, 
it  would  start  a  leaven  that  would  work  into  a  '  loaf ' 
worth  while.  The  notes  I  have  taken  at  the  several 
conferences  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  attend  are  kept 
in  my  '  Grange  corner  '  and  are  often  referred  to." 

In  order  to  stimulate  attendance  upon  the  conferences, 
Granges  are  often  asked  to  bear  the  expense  of  their 
Lecturers  to  them.  This  serves  a  double  purpose;  not 
only  is  attendance  of  the  Lecturer  made  more  sure,  but 
a  Grange  is  itself  stimulated  through  having  a  share 
in  the  Lecturer's  preparation  for  her  duties.  In  Ohio 
an  exceedingly  practical  method  has  been  employed  re- 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  159 

cently  to  secure  attendance  of  Lecturers  at  conferences 
and  to  enlist  the  active  co-operation  of  Granges  at  the 
same  time.  This  plan  seems  to  be  highly  commendable ; 
Mr.  Harry  A.  Caton,  Lecturer  of  Ohio  State  Grange, 
says  of  it: 

Our  biggest  conference  last  year,  and  the  one  that  with- 
out doubt  was  farthest  reaching  in  its  results  for  good,  was 
held  at  the  time  of  the  State  Grange  meeting  in  Columbus. 
Every  member  assigned  work  on  the  conference  program 
responded  and  the  program  was  highly  studied  and  care- 
fully prepared  by  some  of  the  best  Grange  workers  of  our 
state.  Our  only  shortage  was  time.  Our  conference  at 
Cleveland  this  year  will  probably  be  larger.  Last  spring 
the  executive  committee  decided  that  any  Grange  in  our 
state  making  a  net  gain  of  fifty  or  more  members  from  Sep- 
tember 30,  1919,  to  September  30,  1920,  would  be  entitled 
to  have  its  Lecturer's  traveling  expenses  paid  to  the  1920 
State  Grange  meeting  from  State  Grange  funds.  A  sur- 
prisingly large  number  of  Granges  made  the  grade.  Most 
of  these  are  coming  to  the  State  Grange  Lecturers'  Con- 
ference. We  expect  to  arrange  the  program  for  State 
Grange  so  that  each  day  there  will  be  some  time  devoted 
to  this  conference  work. 

Where  the  Lecturers'  conferences  have  become  a  regu- 
lar feature  of  a  State  Grange's  yearly  program,  lists  of 
printed  questions  are  issued  for  use  in  the  conferences. 
These  questions  in  turn  suggest  others  and  assist  greatly 
in  securing  more  thoughtful  discussions  of  the  vital 
problems  connected  with  lecture  work.  The  following 
list  of  such  questions  has  been  used  with  marked  results 
in  the  New  York  conferences  under  leadership  of  S.  L. 
Strivings,  Lecturer  of  New  York  State  Grange : 


160 


THE  GRANGE  LECTURES 


1.  How  much  time  should  the  Lecturer  have  for  the 

program  ? 

2.  What  is  the  duty  of  the  Master  of  a  Grange  toward 

the  Lecturer's  hour? 

3.  Of  what  should  a  hundred  per  cent  program  consist? 

4.  How  often  should  a  Grange  give  the  degree  work  ? 

5.  Should  meetings  be  held  weekly? 

6.  Should  the  Lecturer's  hour  be  open  to  non-members  ? 

Why? 

7.  Who  outside  Grange  members  should  be  invited  to 

take  part  in  the  program? 

8.  Should  the  Lecturer's  hour  ever  be  omitted?     Why? 

9.  Should  Pomona,   Ceres,  and   Flora  have   charge  of 

programs  during  the  year? 
10.  What  special  nights  should  be  observed  ?    Below  is  a 
suggestive  list: 
Visitors'  Night 


Competitive  Night 
(Married  vs.  Single 
members) 
Patriots'  Night 
Historical  Night 
Whittier  Night 
Law  Night 

Pilgrim  Fathers'  Night 
Thrift  Night 
Educational  Night 
Bird  Night 
Anniversary  Night 
Memorial  Night 
Corn  Night 
Flower  Night 


Graces'  Night 
Garden  Night 
Past  Masters'  Night 
Pomona  Night 
May  Festival  Night 
Strawberry  Night 
Drill  Night 
Recreation  Night 
Neighbors'  Night 
Children's  Night 
Ladies'  Night 
Forestry  Night 
Story  Night 
Poetry  Night 
Prize  Speaking  Night 
Spelling  School  Night 


11.  How  do  you  conduct  a  debate? 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  161 

12.  Do  you  get  your  members  to  take  part  in  the  pro- 

gram ?     How  ? 

13.  Who  should  be  given  first  place,  the  younger  or  older 

members  ? 

14.  At  what  age  may  boys  and  girls  become  members  of 

a  Grange? 

15.  Have  you  had  any  experience  with  juvenile  Granges  ? 

Explain. 

16.  At  what  age  must  children  be  excluded  from  the 

Grange  room? 

17.  Do  you  have  any  trouble  with  the  dancing  question? 

18.  Should  city  folks  be  allowed  to  join  the  Grange? 

19.  Whom  would  you  blackball  ?    Quote  the  pledge  in  this 

regard. 

20.  Are  insurance  members  valuable? 

21.  What  do  you  do  to  create  interest  in  the  Lecturer's 

hour? 

22.  How  do  you  organize  a  degree  team? 

23.  Of  whom  should  a  degree  team  consist? 

24.  Can  degree  officers  give  the  secret  work  in  conferring 

degrees  ? 

25.  Should  Pomona  Granges  meet  monthly? 

26.  Where  can  good  song  material  be  obtained  for  the 

Lecturer's  use? 

27.  Would  an  interchange  of  lecture  material  through  the 

State  Lecturer's  office  be  helpful?     How  might  it 
be  carried  on? 

28.  How  far  should  a  Lecturer  go  in  introducing  political 

themes  into  her  program? 

29.  Should  a  Lecturer  plan  for  a  Grange  fair? 

30.  What  service  should  a  Lecturer  render  in  suggesting 

vocations  for  farm  boys  and  girls?     (Many  occu- 
pations related  to  farm  work  are  in  need  of  assist- 


162  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

ants,    veterinarians,    farm    bureaus,    nurses,    cow 
testers,  club  leaders.) 

31.  Will  it  pay  to  have  motion  pictures  in  the  Grange? 

32.  How  can  a  Lecturer  compete  with  the  town  movies? 

33.  Should  the  State  Grange  buy  and  supply  reels  for 

Granges  having  machines? 

34.  How  can  I  get  a  Grange  choir? 

35.  Will  it  be  wise  to  get  the  community  chorus  to  sing 

in  the  lecture  hour? 

36.  Shall  the  Grange  join  with  other  organizations  in 

erecting  and  using  a  community  house? 

37.  How  much  purely  entertainment  material  should  a 

program  contain? 

38.  What  is  a  penny  drill  and  how  many  Granges  ob- 

serve it? 

39.  Should  outside  speakers  be  invited  frequently? 

40.  Give   three  main  features   a   Lecturer   should  have 

in  mind  in  building  a  well-rounded  program. 

41.  What  work  in  anticipation  of  winter  evenings  is  a 

Lecturer  justified  in  asking  members  to  do? 

42.  Should  communications  addressed  to  the  Grange  be 

read  by  the  Lecturer? 

43.  What  should  be  the  relation  of  the  Farm  Bureau  and 

the  Grange? 

44.  What  do  you  think  of  visiting  another  Grange  and 

supplying  the  program,  and  they  the  supper,  and 
the  reverse  when  they  visit  you? 

45.  Should  the  Grange  attempt  to  record  and  retain  local 

history  ? 

46.  Will  it  pay  to  have  a  question  box?    How  manage  it? 

47.  Do  you  have  surprise  features?     Mention  some  that 

you  have  used. 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  163 

48.  What  do  you  do  when  the  members  fail  to  take  the 

parts  assigned? 

49.  What  do  you  think  of  a  year-book  prepared  previ- 

ously ? 

50.  Is  it  better  to  prepare  the  program  each  week  rather 

than  have  printed  programs? 

51.  Who  were  the  seven  founders  of  the  Order? 

52.  Who  is  the  High  Priest  of  Demeter  and  what  are  his 

special  duties? 

53.  Do  you  place  members  on  the  program  without  their 

consent  ? 

54.  What  do  you  do  when  it  rains  and  members  assigned 

to  the  program  fail  ? 

55.  Will  a  Grange  picnic  pay? 

56.  Should  a  Lecturer  run  overtime?    Why? 

57.  Will  it  pay  to  divide  your  members  into  teams  some- 

times for  some  special  work?    Illustrate. 

58.  Do  you  have  a  press  agent?    Why  will  it  pay? 

59.  How  do  you  vote  when  balloting  for  members?    De- 

scribe fully. 

60.  Should  the  Lecturer  invite  the   County  Deputy  or 

should  he  announce  his  own  date? 

61.  How  many  Lecturers   hand  on  to   their   successors 

the  Hand  Books  and  any  other  material  that  comes 
to  them? 

62.  How  may  a  Lecturer  teach  patriotism? 

63.  In  what  matters  of  interest  to  the  Lecturer  should  the 

Master  co-operate? 

64.  Should  a  Lecturer  have  an  assistant?     A  Literary 

Committee  ? 

65.  Should  the  Grange  have  a  bulletin  board?    How  can 

it  be  useful? 


164  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

66.  To  what  extent  should  the  Lecturer  try  to  interest  the 

Grange  in  legislative  matters? 

67.  What  co-operation  should  the  Grange  give  the  local 

church  ? 

68.  What  is  meant  by  community  spirit?    How  can  the 

Grange  foster  it? 

69.  What  persons  in  your  town  should  be  asked  to  speak 

before  your  Grange  ? 

70.  Do  you  have  a  roll-call  at  meetings  ?    How  may  it  be 

made  useful? 

71.  In  what  community  matters  ought  the  Grange  to  take 

a  united  interest? 

72.  Do  you  know  the  members  of  your  Grange?     How 

would  it  do  to  have  the  list  read  at  a  meeting? 

73.  Will  a  story-telling  night  be  profitable? 

74.  Have  you  ever  tried  a  discussion  upon  keeping  farm 

accounts  ? 

75.  Should  a  Lecturer  plan  her  program  for  the  educa- 

tional benefit  or  the  financial? 

76.  What  do  you  think  of  prizes  offered  for  various  mat- 

ters in  the  Grange? 

77.  Will  quotations  be  worth  while  in  the  program? 

78.  Will  it  pay  for  the  Lecturer  to  have  a  paper  explain- 

ing the  graces  and  why  they  are  in  the  Grange? 

79.  Should  a  Lecturer  take  much  time  upon  her  own 

program  ? 

80.  How  can  we  use  every  member  in  the  program? 

81.  How  can  the  Lecturer  get  material  for  debates? 

82.  What  service  can  be  obtained  from  public  libraries  in 

Grange  work? 

83.  Ought  a  Lecturer  to  urge  a  reading  circle  to  use  a 

circulating  library? 

84.  Are  the  Grange  dues  high  enough  to  supply  necessary 

assistance  from  outside  sources? 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  165 

85.  What  changes  would  you  suggest  in  the  rituals? 

86.  What  ,book  have  you  read  the  past  year  which  you 

can  recommend  to  Lecturers? 

87.  Will  it  pay  to  give  the  time  in  Grange  to  discussion 

of  the  co-operative  buying  and  selling  as  proposed 
in  the  enlarged  Grange  Exchange  ? 

88.  What  must  we  do  to  hold  the  older  members  and  the 

practical  men? 

89.  Give  ten  do's  for  the  Lecturer. 

90.  Give  ten  don'ts  for  the  Lecturer. 

91.  Why  does  a  woman  make  a  better  Lecturer  than  a 

man? 

92.  What  responsibility  has  the  local  Lecturer  to  the  Po- 

mona Lecturer? 

93.  Give  some  worth  while  poems  for  use  in  memorizing. 

94.  Will  it  pay  to  learn  some  of  the  really  fine  poems  of  our 

language  for  the  Grange  program  beginning  far 
enough  in  advance  to  have  time  to  commit  it? 
Name  such  a  poem. 

95.  Ought  the  Lecturer   to  have  the  National  Grange 

Monthly? 

96.  Will  it  be  well  to  have  a  history  of  the  Grange  pre- 

pared by  some  well-informed  brother  or  sister? 

97.  How  can  the  Lecturer  make  the  local  Grange  felt 

in  the  community? 

98.  How  can  the  Grange  be  made  strong  socially? 

99.  What  is  the  big  task  of  the  Grange? 

100.  Why  should  a  Grange  be  organized  in  every  com- 

munity ? 

101.  Through  what  medium  do  we  learn  most  in  the  "  after 

school "  days  ? 

Another  list  of  questions,  used  in  several  series  of 
Michigan  Lecturers'  conferences,  follows : 


166  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

1.  What  is  the  Master's  relation  to  the  Lecturer's  hour? 

2.  How  can  we,  through  the  lecture  hour,  aid  the  organi- 
zation and  administration  of  the  Grange? 

3.  By  what  means  shall  we,  as  Lecturers,  seek  to  im- 

prove our  teaching  power? 

4.  What  should  be  the  chief  aim  of  the  program  in  a 

Subordinate  Grange?    In  a  Pomona  Grange? 

5.  Shall  we  provide  programs  that  cater  to  what  mem- 

bers like  or  shall  we  strive  to  create  new  standards  ? 

6.  How  cultivate  responsibility  in  regard  to  the  lecture 

hour? 

7.  How  keep  a  Grange  from  becoming  "  an  old  story  "  ? 

8.  How  use  the  press? 

9.  How  make  the  lecture  work  tend  to  cultivate  home 

study  ? 

10.  What  exercises  will  develop  interest  in  local  history 

and  geography? 

11.  How  make  the  lecture  hour  lead  to  Grange  action  in 

local  movements  and  improvements  ? 

12.  How  can  a  Lecturer  develop  music  in  a  Grange  that 

considers  itself  without  musical  ability? 

13.  How  utilize  feasts,  lunches,  and  social  occasions  as 

times  for  something  more  than  eating  and  aimless 
sociability  ? 

14.  Whose  place  is  it  to  check  undue  restlessness  or  visit- 

ing on  the  side  during  the  program,  and  to  stop 
long-winded  speakers? 

15.  How  enlist  the  diffident  in  lecture  work?    The  young? 

The  elderly?    The  unschooled? 

16.  What    means    tend    to    develop    leadership    among 

members  ? 

17.  What  is  the  value  of  the  committee,  or  "  group  idea  " 

in  Grange  work? 


TRAINING  OF  LECTURERS  167 

18.  What  ends  may  the  "surprise  feature"  be  made  to 

serve  ? 

19.  How  much  should  we  depend  upon  outside  speakers? 

20.  What  benefits  are  derived  from  use  of  illustrative 

material  ? 

21.  From   a   Grange   standpoint  what  do  we  mean  by 

"  community  service  work  "  ? 

22.  From  a   Grange  standpoint  what  do   we  mean  by 

"  training  in  rural  leadership  "  ? 


CHAPTER  V 

FINAL  AIMS  IN  LECTURE  WORK 

A  Lecturer  who  has  a  conception  of  her  opportunity 
endeavors,  in  the  first  place,  to  help  her  neighbors  to 
material  equipment  which  is  adapted  to  the  best  modern 
methods  of  farming  and  home  keeping.  In  the  second 
place,  the  Lecturer  appreciates  that  material  things  may 
also  support  a  life  of  enjoyment  and  culture  quite  apart 
from  creature  comforts,  and  that  the  man  and  woman 
who  find  this  satisfaction  in  the  open  country  extract 
several  times  as  much  out  of  life  as  those  do  who  are 
blind  and  deaf  and  dulled  to  all  but  its  toil  and  hard- 
ness. As  Lecturer,  then,  she  endeavors  to  lead  the 
members  into  an  appreciation  of  these  cultural  values 
of  country  life.  Lastly,  in  the  third  place,  greater  than 
its  material,  higher  than  its  esthetic  side,  the  keen- 
sighted  Lecturer  sees  the  human  side,  with  all  its  experi- 
ences, its  joys,  its  sorrows,  its  temptations,  and  its 
triumphs,  the  immortal  possibilities  of  life — all  these 
she  recognizes,  and,  as  best  she  can,  does  her  humble 
part  in  trying  to  realize  them  in  the  lives  of  friends 
and  neighbors  with  whom  her  lot  is  cast.  Compre- 
hending the  scope  of  these  three  features  of  the  Grange 
field,  the  studious  Lecturer  discerns  that  rural  life,  no 
less  than  the  city  slums,  has  its  high  call  to  service 
through  its  own  peculiar  difficulties  and  possibilities. 

168 


FINAL  AIMS  IN  LECTURE  WORK         169 

Public  speaking  not  all  of  Grange  education. — The 
speaker  at  a  summer  rally  had  quoted,  "  No  one  is  too 
old  to  learn,"  and  had  tried  to  show  how  the  Grange 
endeavors  to  lead  all  its  members,  whatever  their  age 
may  be,  into  new  achievements.  At  the  close  of  the 
program  an  elder  brother  came  forward  and  said,  "  I 
can't  agree  with  you  when  you  say  '  No  one  is  too  old 
to  learn.'  Now,  I've  been  in  a  Grange  almost  forty 
years  and  I  can't  stand  up,  yet,  in  a  meeting  and  talk! '' 
In  all  sincerity  the  speaker  of  the  day  might  have  replied 
to  this  challenge  in  something  like  the  following  fashion : 

"  Bless  you,  my  white-crowned  brother  of  the  bright 
eye  and  the  young  heart !  How  wide  the  mark  of  truth 
do  we  hit  if  we  preach  that  the  Grange  educates  people 
only  when  it  teaches  them  to  talk.  Let  me  tell  you  some 
of  the  things  you  have  gained  from  your  Grange  school- 
ing, for  I  know  well  the  class  of  which  you  are  a  type. 
You  long  ago  learned  so  to  plan  your  work  that  you 
can  take  your  wife  and  go  from  home  to  mingle  with 
your  neighbors  and  friends.  You  have  learned  at  such 
times  to  appear  in  becoming  and  neat  attire.  You  have 
learned — here  a  little  and  there  a  little — farm  methods 
that  have  improved  your  tillage  and  your  stock  feed- 
ing. You  have  become  convinced  of  the  value  of  seed 
selection  and  have  been  taught  something  of  the  spray- 
ing of  fruit.  Whereas  you  once  were  narrow  and  preju- 
diced, now  you  are  tolerant  and  slow  to  judge.  You 
have  learned  that  friendships  are  more  than  gold  and 
have  come  to  cherish  many  of  them.  You  have  learned 
to  offer  the  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  to  other  members, 
to  smile  a  welcome  and  ask  questions  that  indicate  your 


170  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

sympathetic  interest  in  them.  You  have  learned  to  turn 
a  deaf  ear  to  the  rancorous  complaint,  a  silent  lip  to  the 
tale-bearer,  a  quieting  word  to  the  worried,  and  a  merry 
retort  to  the  jester.  While  you  are  courteous  to  all, 
you  have  learned  to  offer  special  comforts  to  the 
strangers  within  the  gates.  You  have  learned  the  medi- 
cinal merits  of  mirth,  and  are  bent  on  going  out  of  life 
younger  than  most  men  come  to  their  majority.  In  fact, 
you  have  learned  to  put  true  values  on  those  things  that 
vanish  today  and  those  that  endure.  The  Grange  may 
not  have  actually  put  all  these  lessons  into  so  many 
words,  my  brother  of  the  bowed  back  and  cheery  face, 
but  it  has  kept  you  in  the  practice  of  them  by  calling 
upon  you  to  mingle  with  people  of  your  kind,  and  has 
taught  you  to  be  open-minded  toward  every  good  thing 
they  had  to  offer  you.     This  is  no  slight  education." 

To  reach  the  "  last  man "  on,  every  farm. — "  The 
task  of  agricultural  education,"  once  said  President 
Kenyon  L.  Butterfield  to  a  group  of  rural  workers,  "will 
never  be  complete  until  we  seek  to  reach  the  very  last 
man  on  the  farm  with  the  best  things."  For  more  than 
a  half  century  the  Grange  has  been  actively  concerned 
in  the  effort  to  "  reach  the  last  man  on  the  farm  with  the 
best  thing."  Sometimes  it  has  worked  alone,  again  it 
has  co-operated  with  other  institutions  in  the  quest. 
There  never  was  a  time  when  all  rural  agencies  were 
nearer  the  goal;  nor  a  time  when  they  might  see  more 
clearly  how  distant  is  that  same  goal,  than  today.  There 
is  still  a  wide  gulf  between  "  the  last  man  "  and  "  the 
best  things  "  of  which  rural  life  is  capable,  albeit  great 
movements  are  stirring  to  bring  them  together. 


FINAL  AIMS  m  LECTURE  WORK         171 

Exactly  what  is  to  be  the  function  and  relative  posi- 
tion of  the  Grange  in  future  agricultural  developments 
remains  to  be  seen.  The  Farm  Bureau  movement,  sup- 
plemented by  the  farm  agent,  is  now  in  some  states  com- 
mitted to  many  of  the  same  business  undertakings  that 
the  Grange  has  long  advocated  and,  in  some  instances, 
attempted.  But  as  yet  no  other  organization  occupies 
so  fully  as  does  the  Grange  the  field  of  personal  touch 
and  influence  with  the  "  last  man  "  on  the  "  back  forty." 
Nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  for  every  "  last  man  " 
there  is  also  a  "  last  woman,"  whose  membership  the 
Grange  seeks  equally  with  that  of  her  husband.  In- 
deed, to  farm  women  in  this  time  of  their  recent  en- 
franchisement, the  Grange  offers  a  place  for  discussion 
and  training  in  citizenship  and  legislative  progress  un- 
approached  by  any  other  rural  organization.  Will  it  be 
equal  to  its  open  door  of  opportunity  in  this  direction  ? 
Upon  Grange  Lecturers  the  answer  largely  depends. 

Training  for  character. — If  the  exercises  of  a  Grange 
lecture  hour  were  designed  simply  to  make  an  amusing 
entertainment,  their  value  is  slight.  On  the  other  hand, 
their  worth  is  many-fold  when  the  Lecturer  recognizes 
and  uses  such  exercises  as  instruments  with  which  to 
"  develop  a  better  and  higher  manhood  and  womanhood 
among  ourselves."  This  is,  in  fact,  the  final  goal,  the 
supreme  triumph  of  the  Grange  movement,  and  nothing 
else  should  be  allowed  to  supplant  it,  no  other  motive 
to  transcend  it  in  importance.  The  Lecturer  who  for- 
gets this  aim  has  lost  her  lodestone;  and  the  one  who 
cherishes  it  can  never  wholly  fail. 

Rural  leaders. — The  Lecturer  who  appreciates  that 


172  THE  GRANGE  LECTURES 

the  end  of  lecture  work  is  the  building  of  character  and 
who  uses  her  office  for  that  purpose  becomes  a  leader 
among  her  co-workers.  Such  a  Lecturer  fulfils  the 
definition  of  leadership  in  the  language  of  that  fine- 
spirited,  western,  rural  leader,  Mrs.  Jessie  Field  Stam- 
baugh,  who  is  wont  to  say,  "  Leadership  is  such  a  simple 
thing ;  it  is  just  caring  for  people !  " 

"  Leadership  "  is  a  misleading  and  abused  term,  no 
doubt.  It  is  used  here  for  the  want  of  a  better.  In 
using  it,  I  bear  in  mind  the  thought  that  "  so  far  as 
anyone  loves  his  community,  he  loves  the  individuals 
who  compose  it,"  and  seeks  to  help  them  to  make  the 
most  of  themselves.  In  so  far,  then,  as  a  Lecturer  really 
promotes  the  cause  of  her  Grange  or  club,  she  does  so 
by  seeking  to  promote  the  separate  members  of  her 
group.  She  delights  in  their  individual  development; 
she  sees  in  them  greater  possibilities  than  they  them- 
selves have  guessed  j  she  sees  opportunities  in  their 
farms,  their  barns,  their  homes,  and  in  their  children 
which  they  can  attain  only  by  growth  in  themselves. 
Such  a  person  realizes  that  larger  things  exist  for  her 
community  if  a  stronger  neighborhood  solidarity  can  be 
attained;  she  sees  that  if  greater  interest  is  centered  in 
the  rural  school  and  church  both  will  be  materially  im- 
proved. But  these  ideals  for  the  future  depend  upon 
how  well  their  foundation  is  laid  in  the  ability  of  each 
member  of  the  community  to  take  and  carry  his  part. 
In  short,  Grange  Lecturers  and  other  rural  workers  need 
to  "  write  upon  the  posts  "  of  their  halls  and  "  bind 
upon  their  hands  "  this  sign :  "  It  is  better  to  set  ten 
men  at  work  than  to  do  ten  men's  work."    One  Lecturer 


FINAL  AIMS  IN  LECTTTEE  WOEK         173 

may,  by  understanding  the  true  values  of  her  office, 
train  ten  members,  who,  in  turn,  may  lead  one  hundred 
others,  and  these,  again,  influence  a  thousand  in  ways 
of  stronger  character.  For  upon  so  simple  a  rule  as  that 
is  even  the  greatest  leadership  based.  There  need  be 
no  blustering  bossism  about  such  leadership,  no  spec- 
tacular display  of  leadership,  nor  any  self-seeking  as 
the  ultimate  aim.  A  little  child  has  led  some  of  the 
greatest  victories  the  world  has  known  by  its  power 
of  innocently  suggesting  and  awakening  in  men  sleep- 
ing powers  of  thought  and  energy.  The  frailest  of 
women,  timid  and  distrustful  of  self,  have  started  the 
wheels  of  progress  and  efficiency  in  others  simply  by 
showing  confidence  in  their  ability  and  directing  the 
way  to  the  necessary  tasks.  Man  after  man,  in  the 
world's  march  upward,  has  truly  ranked  among  its 
greatest  "  leaders  "  without  displaying  himself  at  the 
forefront  or  claiming  the  stars  and  epaulets  at  the  finish. 
These  things  do  not  so  much  matter  to  the  genuine 
leader.  They  are  proper  enough  and  they  are  prized  if 
they  come,  but  they  are  not  the  chief  rewards. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  LECTURER'S  REWARD 

Oppoetunity  expectantly  greets  the  new  Lecturer  and 
continually  opens  before  her  door  after  door  that  leads 
to  yet  larger  opportunities.  In  fact  the  reward  of  the 
Lecturer  consists  of  OPPORTUNITY. 

The  first  doorway  which  the  earnest  Lecturer  enters 
is  marked  "  Growth."  To  make  good  in  the  office  to 
which  she  has  been  elected  she  must  grow, — constantly 
becoming  possessed  of  somewhat  more  information,  tact, 
perseverance,  good  cheer,  and  other  desirable  qualities 
than  she  had  before.  It  is  the  growing  Lecturer  who  at- 
tains progress,  and  finally  succeeds.  Growth  of  intellect 
and  spirit  on  the  part  of  the  Lecturer  requires  an  open 
mind  and  a  ready  acceptance  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
not  one  person,  however  humble  or  with  ever  so  calloused 
hands,  of  whom  she  cannot  learn  something.  The  sincere 
Lecturer  gets  her  own  richest  reaction  through  leading 
out  and  helping  other  people  to  develop  their  latent  tal- 
ents. She  does  not,  to  be  sure,  seek  reward  for  herself 
through  her  efforts  thus  to  promote  the  unfolding  of  dor- 
mant capabilities  in  other  people,  but  eventually  she  rec- 
ognizes that  it  is  she  herself  who  has  been  most  recom- 
pensed. An  extended  knowledge  of  many  important 
subjects,  a  deeper  insight  into  and  understanding  of 
rural  needs,  and  rich  friendships  on  every  hand  come 

174 


THE  LECTURER'S  REWARD  175 

to  her  through  her  work  as  Grange  Lecturer.  She  be- 
gins to  recognize  in  her  neighbors  and  Grange  associates 
unguessed  resources  of  thought  and  sentiment  and  con- 
victions. If  she  be  faithful  to  the  revelations  of  these 
wide  fields  of  intangible  wealth  lying  close  about  her, 
she  accepts  the  leadership  of  her  office  as  did  a  certain 
man  whom  the  writer  knew.  This  man  was  a  very  busy 
person  and  not  yet  free  from  debt,  still  he  gave  much 
time  to  the  preparation  of  his  Grange  programs  and  the 
selection  of  people  to  carry  them  out.  When  someone 
commented  upon  the  responsibility  the  Grange  had  im- 
posed upon  him,  he  said,  "  Yes,  I  know,  but  I  thought  I 
couldn't  afford  to  refuse  it." 

The  opportunity,  then,  to  inspire  and  to  lead  the 
Grange  membership  is  pre-eminently  the  Lecturer's 
province;  and  yet  in  the  end  such  service  becomes  a 
privilege  redounding  to  the  truest  and  highest  education 
of  the  Lecturer.  This  education  is  of  the  kind  that  a 
tiny  lad  once  defined  with  more  insight  than  older  heads 
sometimes  display.  In  his  eagerness  for  the  arrival  of 
his  first  day  of  school,  this  laddie  said :  "  I  want  to  go 
to  school  now ;  I  don't  want  to  wait."  "  What  do  you 
want  to  go  to  school  for  ?  "  I  asked.  He  quickly  replied, 
"  So  I  can  learn  fings."  "  And  why  do  you  want  to 
learn  things  ?  "  "Sol  can  do  fings  and  help  other  folks 
more !  "  was  the  instant  answer.  On  exactly  such  a 
plane  does  the  Grange  offer  rewards  to  her  who  serves  as 
Lecturer.  It  offers  a  position  where  she  must  read  and 
study  and  express  opinions  upon  definite  but  many 
varied  subjects;  and  it  then  expects  her  to  cultivate 
these  same  habits  in  her  co-workers  of  similar  station 


176  THE  GRANGE  LECTURER 

and  occupation,  with  the  avowed  purpose  that  thereby 
they  will  benefit  not  only  themselves  but  their  calling 
and  their  country, — this  constitutes  the  reward  of  a 
Lecturer. 


INDEX 


Advertising  the  Grange,  82 
Agriculture,     teaching     of,     in 

schools,  15 
Atkeson,  Thomas  Clark,  author 

Grange  history,  15 

Bachelder,  N.  J.,  145 
Bouck,  William,  147 
Business  side  of  farming,  10 
Butterfield,  Kenyon  L.,  170 

Caton,    Harry   A.,    159 

Children  in  the  Grange,  70 
Conference       Lecturers',     153; 
officers',  63;  program,  160 

Declaration  of  Purposes,  50,  84 

Departments   of  Grange  work: 

Educational,     18 ;     Financial, 

10;  Legislative,  13;  Social, 20 

Distribution,  evils  of,  persist,  7 

Economic  reforms,  7,  8 
Education  in  the  Grange,  169 
Exhibits,  use  of,  127 
Extension  work,  15 

Feast,  origin  of  Grange,  20 
Forum,  an  open,  19,  93 
Fraternity,  25 
Freeman,  C.  M.,  152 

Gardner,  Charles  M.,  132 

Giles,  W.  N.,  55 

Grange:  advertising,  82,  117, 
118;  a  live  wire,  86;  and 
children,  70;  and  other  farm 
organizations,  141,  171 ;  and 
public  affairs,  5,  13;  and 
women,  4,  32;  a  self-help  as- 
sociation, 146;  conferences, 
63;  departments  of  work,  9; 


early  and  later  aims,  7;  early 
history,  3;  feast,  20;  habits, 
bad,  77;  habits,  good,  75; 
illustrative  material,  127; 
Lecturer's  creed,  83;  lecture 
hour,  18;  legislative  activity, 
7;  leverage  in  community, 
51;  open  forum,  an,  19,  93; 
personal  elements,  84;  play 
based  on  farm  life,  54;  Po- 
mona, 28;  pubbic  service  in- 
stitution, 56;  scope  and  ob- 
jects, 5;  students,  19,  139 
Granges,  railroad  laws,  7,  15 

Hall,  Miss  Carrie  A.,  3,  4 
Harwell,  Mr.,  on  agriculture  in 

schools,  16 
History  of  the  Grange,  early, 

0 

Horton,   George   B.,   30 
Hull,  N.  P.,  66 

Installation  of  Master,  47 
Isolation  of  farmers,  3 

Juveniles,  a  constructive  force, 

70,  73 
Juvenile  work,  value  of,  147 

Kelley,  Oliver  H.,  originator  of 
the  Grange,  3;  and  the 
Grange  feast,  21;  on  the 
teaching  of  agriculture,  16 

Last  man  on   farm,  a   Grange 

aim,  53,  171 
Leadership,   definition  of,   172^ 

rural,  146,  152,  171 
Lecture  hour,  18,  84 
Lecturer,    duty    of,    96;    power 

of,  100;  self-examination  of, 

101;  sources  of  help  for,  98 


177 


178 


INDEX 


Lecturer's  creed,  83;  reward, 
175 

Lecture  work  equipment,  dra- 
matizations, 113;  human  ma- 
terials, 106;  music,  111;  note- 
books, 104;  printed  helps, 
105;  recitations,  112 

Lowell,  S.  J.,  131 

Master,  as  community  leader, 
59 

Master's  needs,  50 

Mayo,  Mary  A.,  40 

Members,  city  farmers  as  such, 
42;  how  secure  new,  85 

Messer,  Alpha,  instituted  Lec- 
turers' conferences,  154;  in- 
stituted uniform  programs  in 
Grange  work,  149 

Music,  use  of  in  the  Grange, 
23,  111 

National  Grange  Monthly,  145, 
151,  154 

Ohio  State  Grange,  151 
Organizing  for  efficiency,  62 

Patent   laws,   15 
Patterson,  H.  J.,  55 
Play,  A  Grange,  114 
Press  reports,  82,  117,  118 
Program,      a      balanced,      109; 

building,     108;     conduct     of, 

122;   principles,   94;   printed, 

120 
Programs    of    uniform    topics, 

149;  Ohio  State  Grange  first 

to  publish,  157 


Production  costs,  11 

Questions,    use    of    in    Grange 
program  work,  128 

Rallies,  summer,  29 
Reform  laws,  15 
Responsibility,    importance    of 

placing,  66 
Ritual,  a  social  help,  22 
Roll  call,  an  excellent  program 

exercise,   129,   138 
Rural  mail,  15 
Rural  recreative  life,  24,  135 
Rural  schools,  16 

Saunders,  Mrs.  F.  D.,  152 

Speakers,  outside,  115 

Social  leadership  in  community, 

23 
Social    opportunities    afforded, 

20,  22 
Stambaugh,  Mrs.  Jessie  Field, 

172 
Stockman,  Mrs.  Dora  Hall,  114 
Strivings,  S.  L.,  159 
Study  by  group  plan,  132 

Temperance,  15,  17 
Training   for  Grange  workers, 
147,  171 

Vision,  need  of,  49 

Woman's  suffrage,  15 

Young  people,  64 


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